The Braehead Arena is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

, Scotland. The arena was built in 1996, and is located within the Braehead Complex. The arena was formerly the home of the Scottish Eagles ice hockey club and is now the home to the expansion Glasgow Clan ice hockey team of the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

. From 2002 to 2008, Braehead Arena was home to Scotland's only professional basketball team, the

Scottish Rocks The Caledonia Gladiators are a Scottish professional basketball club based in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire and are the only Scotland-based team in Super League Basketball, the top tier of domestic basketball in the United Kingdom. Founde ...

Past & current events

The arena is currently home to two

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

teams, Glasgow Clan and Paisley Pirates. It has also hosted a variety of local sporting events and concerts. Between 1–9 April, it hosted the 2000 Ford

World Curling Championships The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and Doubles curling, mixed doubles championships, as ...

for

men A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the fa ...

and

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

. *The professional wrestling company

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

have used the arena many times for their UK tours, and more recently TNA have utilised the arena. *As well as sporting events the arena regularly is host to many entertainment events such as The Singing Kettle,

Bratz Bratz is an American fashion doll and media franchise created by former Mattel employee Carter Bryant for MGA Entertainment, which debuted in 2001. The four original 10-inch (25 cm) dolls were released on May 21, 2001 — Yasmin (Latina), ...

and

Playhouse Disney Playhouse Disney was a brand of programming blocks and international cable and satellite television channels that were owned by the Disney Channels Worldwide unit (now Disney Branded Television) of The Walt Disney Company's Disney–ABC Tele ...

Live. The arena has also specialised in Ice Shows with both

Dancing on Ice ''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series broadcast from 2006 to 2014 and then from 2018 to 2025. It was presented by Holly Willoughby and Stephen Mulhern. Other previous hosts include Phillip Schofield and Christine Lampard. The series ...

and the

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...

:ICE SHOW having been held at the Arena. *The arena are regular host to the Fantazia and Coloursfest Raves (not actual raves) as it attracts audiences of approximately 7,000 clubbers. *2007–2009 Collector's Convention Collectormania

2002

On 8 June it hosted Ricky Burns's fight against fellow Briton Gary Harrison a minute and a half into the first of four rounds by way of TKO. On 19 October it hosted Ricky Burns's fight against fellow Briton Neil Murray and thirty six seconds into the second of four rounds by way of TKO. On 13 and 14 November it hosted concerts by

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Heathen Chemistry Tour The Heathen Chemistry World Tour was a concert tour by English band Oasis, which took place between 2002 and 2003. The tour was in promotion of their record '' Heathen Chemistry''. While the tour was successful, it was plagued by major incidents ...

. On 19 December it hosted Pablo Chacón's defence of his

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxin ...

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

title against Briton Scott Harrison who beat him on unanimous decision after twelve rounds to become the new champion.

2003

On 4 November, it hosted a concert by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

as part of her Dangerously in Love Tour.

2004

On 29 October, it hosted Ricky Burns's fight against fellow Brit Jeff Thomas and won on points after four rounds.

2005

On 5 November, it hosted Paul McCloskey's fight against Englishman Billy Smith and won on points after four rounds. On 11 November, it hosted Amir Khan's third professional fight against fellow Briton Steve Gethin forty nine seconds into the third of four rounds by way of TKO.

2006

Between 7–9 April, It hosted Great Britain's 2006 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I second round home match against

Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. The hosts who were seeded were edged out 3–2 by the unseeded visitors and missed out on a place in that years World Group playoff.

2007

On 11 October 2007 it hosted a concert by American progressive rock band

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...

, as part of the group's Systematic Chaos Tour.

2009

2009 Scottish Masters Cup The arena also played host to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

's home

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...

Men's

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Tie against

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in March 2009. On 12 July, it hosted the Glasgow audition stages of the sixth series of the ITV singer search programme

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

. On Saturday 5 December, it hosted the Jocky Wilson Cup.

2010

On 25 September, it hosted a concert by

Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...

as part of his Kaleidoscope World Tour. On 4 December, it hosted Callum Johnson's fight against Republic of Irishman Tommy Tolan and knocked him out in the first of four rounds. That was followed by Ricky Burns defence of his

Super Featherweight Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a weight division in professional boxing, contested between and . The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although first founded by the New ...

title against Norwegian Andreas Evensen and through a unanimous decision after twelve rounds.

2011

On 12 March, it hosted Stephen Simmons professional boxing debut match against fellow Briton Nick Okoth and won 1:36 minutes into the seconds of four rounds by way of TKO. It was followed by James DeGale's tenth professional match which was against Frenchman Alpay Kobal and won 1:37 minutes into the fifth of eight rounds by way of TKO. That was followed by Ricky Burn's defence of his WBO Super Featherweight title against Ghanaian Joseph Laryea and won after his opponent retired before the seventh of twelve rounds. On 14 March, it hosted Callum Johnson's fight against Englishman Jody Meikle and won on points after four rounds. It played host to two of Great Britain's 2011 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group II home matches. Between 8–10 July, it hosted Great Britain's second round match against

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

. The host who were top seeds hammered the unseeded visitors 4–1 and met unseeded

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

in the third round between 16–18 September and annihilated the visitors 5–0 and won promotion to the Europe/Africa Zone Group I for next year. On 8 and 9 October, it hosted a

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

concert as part of his Never Ending Tour 2011.

2012

On 10 March, it hosted Stephen Simmons fourth professional boxing match, this time against Hastings Rasani of Zimbabwe and won with 22 seconds to go in the sixth and final round by way of TKO. That was followed by Ricky Burn's defence of his WBO Super Featherweight title against Namibian Paulus Moses and won on unanimous decision after twelve rounds. It played host to two of Great Britain's 2012 Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group I home matches. Between 10–12 February, it hosted Great Britain's first round match against

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. The host who were top unseeded edged out the visitors who were also unseeded 3–2 and met third seeds

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in the second round between 6–8 April but were hammered 4–1 and remained in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I for another year. On 24 and 25 April, it hosted a JLS concert as part of their 4th Dimensions Tour. On 16 October, it hosted a

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...

concert as part of her Stronger Tour.

2014

On 27 June, it hosted Stephen Simmons tenth professional boxing match, this time against Spaniard Wadi Camacho and won 1:01 minutes into the tenth and final round by way of TKO. That was followed by Ricky Burn's fight against Montenegrin Dejan Zlaticanin who beat him on split decision after 12 rounds to win the vacant WBC International

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

title.

2015

On 11 November, it was host to

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

's Dystopia World Tour with

Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...

Children of Bodom Children of Bodom was a Finnish melodic death metal band from Espoo. Formed in 1993 as Inearthed, the final line-up of the group upon their split in 2019 consisted of frontman Alexi Laiho, drummer Jaska Raatikainen, bassist Henkka Seppälä, ...

, and

Sylosis Sylosis are a British heavy metal band formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 2000. Signed to Nuclear Blast Records, the band has released six studio albums, a live album, two EPs and twelve music videos. Their latest album, ''A Sign of Things to Co ...

2022

2022 saw the re-introduction of

Masters Football Masters Football was a six-a-side Indoor soccer, indoor football competition in the United Kingdom, where players over the age of 35 were chosen by the Masters Football Selection Committee to represent a senior club for which they played. Regiona ...

to a sell out crowd, which saw

Celtic F.C. The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a professional Association football, football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football league system, Scottish ...

Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founded in ...

Manchester United F.C. Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. They compete in the Premier League, t ...

and Rangers F.C. compete. Coloursfest,

The Time Frequency The Time Frequency (TTF) are a Scottish electronic dance music group, founded by Jon Campbell in early 1990. Members that TTF have included are fellow keyboard instrument, keyboard players Paul Inglis, Steven Nelson, Kyle Ramsay and later Coli ...

and GBX made welcome returns in 2022 following COVID.

2023

Was one of the busiest years to date with Coloursfest,

, Cheerleading competitions, World Kickboxing competitions,

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...

, Wedding Exhibitions and Dental shows. As well as global

Qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...

music superstar

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Punjabi singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha ...

2024

Looks another busy year with Concerts - Coloursfest and PRTY, Cheerleading competitions, World Kickboxing competitions,

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

, Muay Thai events, Wedding Exhibitions and Dental shows. Cage Warriors was such a resounding success in April 2024, after a 13 year hiatus from Glasgow that they are returning again in September 2024.

References

External links

*
Renfrew Riverside regeneration
{{Renfrewshire Indoor arenas in Scotland Basketball venues in Scotland Exhibition and conference centres in Scotland Ice hockey venues in Scotland Sports venues in Renfrewshire Sports venues completed in 1999 Caledonia Gladiators 1999 establishments in Scotland Renfrew