Capacity increase for New Zealand’s Spark Arena

New Zealand’s Spark Arena is upping its capacity after celebrating its biggest year since opening in 2007.

More than 655,000 fans attended the Auckland arena and its neighbouring club venue, The Tuning Fork, in 2023 – breaking the previous record of 619,000 set in 2018.

The achievement equates to 41% of Auckland’s population, or 13% of the national population, attending an event at Spark Arena, which has officially increased its capacity from 12,000 to 13,280.

“This will mean more tickets will be available to fans that otherwise might miss out and it will also be beneficial for Spark Arena and promoters to attract even more world-class talent and the globe’s biggest acts to Aotearoa, New Zealand,” says Spark Arena general manager Mark Gosling.

Last year, the Live Nation-operated venue welcomed artists including 50 Cent, Lizzo, and Paramore, as well as hosting the largest country shows ever in New Zealand with sold-out shows by Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Record audiences also turned out for the first major performances by K-Pop group P1Harmony, Taiwanese musician Jonathan Lee and Indian singer/songwriter Diljit Dosanjh.

“We are proud our venue brings significant social and economic value to communities as the gateway of entertainment for the country”

“2023 was a big year for our dedicated and skilled team who have worked around the clock to deliver a wide range of events for Kiwis at the highest level,” adds Gosling. “It is fantastic to see New Zealanders really get behind events and we are proud our venue brings significant social and economic value to communities as the gateway of entertainment for the country.”

Over the past couple of months, Spark Arena has hosted Jonas Brothers, Queens of the Stone Age, three sold-out shows with SZA and smashed all-time nightly attendance records with both Blink 182 and Fred Again.. Upcoming acts include Macklemore, Brooke Fraser, Tate McRae, Jerry Seinfeld and Iron Maiden.

Spark Arena will also play host to the World Choir Games this July featuring around 250 choirs from more than 30 countries.

Across Australia and New Zealand, the Live Nation Venue Nation division also oversees the Tuning Fork in Auckland, San Fran in Wellington as well as the Palais Theatre and Festival Hall in Melbourne, and Anita’s Theatre in Thirroul, New South Wales, along with the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane and Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide.

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