Creating More World-Class Stages for Artists: Live Nation Partners With Copenhagen’s Royal Arena
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Live Nation will acquire Denmark’s Royal Arena, enabling major venue, fan, and artist experience upgrades
The plan accelerates Royal Arena’s sustainability leadership, adding renewable energy and efficiency improvements to support Denmark’s growing live music economy
Live Nation has signed an agreement with current owners Realdania and Copenhagen City to acquire Royal Arena, Denmark’s premier indoor venue, marking a significant investment in Denmark’s live entertainment landscape.
The deal paves the way for upgrades to the 17,000-capacity arena and surrounding area with improved amenities for the local community, expanded VIP experiences, sustainability initiatives, and enhanced backstage facilities for touring artists and crews. These plans build on recent additions such as The Vinyl Room presented by Bang & Olufsen – an exclusive lounge experience inside Royal Arena.
The venue, operated by Live Nation since its opening in 2017, has hosted global and Danish stars including Metallica, MØ, Rod Stewart, Billie Eilish, Lukas Graham, Justin Timberlake and Olivia Rodrigo.
Designed by award-winning Danish architects 3XN, Royal Arena is recognised for its sustainable design, featuring Cradle to Cradle certified materials and fully recyclable wooden fins. Live Nation will continue to advance these green initiatives, with upgrades such as rooftop solar panels, full LED lighting conversion, and two 4.5 MW batteries to store renewable energy—saving more than 800,000 kWh annually.
The acquisition comes amid strong growth in Denmark’s live music market, which contributes DKK 10.2bn ($1.6bn) [1] annually to the economy and supports thousands of jobs.
Anders Kjørup, CEO Royal Arena said: “From the first concert in 2017, when Metallica took to the stage, the Danes have been in love with this amazing building—delivering world-class experiences for artists and fans alike. Now, as both owner and operator, Live Nation is even more committed to the venue and the surrounding area, and we look forward to developing it for many years to come.”
Nina Kovsted Helk, CEO of Realdania said: “Realdania’s philanthropic mission is to create quality of life for all through the built environment. This includes contributing to urban development by creating buildings like Royal Arena that form a framework for communities and memorable experiences We’re proud to have helped bring a world-class multi-purpose arena to Copenhagen – and to Denmark as a whole. It was never Realdania’s intention to be the long-term owner of the arena, and the time has now come to sell. We’re therefore very pleased with this agreement.”
The deal is scheduled to close in 2026.
About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit www.livenationentertainment.com.
About Royal Arena
Located in the heart of Copenhagen’s Ørestad district, Royal Arena is Denmark’s premier indoor venue for world-class concerts, sports, and live entertainment. Since opening in 2017, the arena has welcomed millions of guests and hosted a wide range of major international events.
With a capacity of up to 17,000 and a flexible, state-of-the-art design, Royal Arena is built to deliver outstanding guest experiences and set new standards for sustainability, innovation, and hospitality. Today, the arena stands as one of Northern Europe’s leading destinations for live entertainment. For more information, visit www.royalarena.dk
[1] https://dansklive.dk/nyheder/ny-stor-undersoegelse-musikindustrien-bidrager-med-163-mia-kr-til-dansk-oekonomi/