Mexico City Arena

Mexico City Arena

Location	Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, Mexico
Operator	Zignia Live
Capacity	22,300
Construction
Broke ground	March 18, 2009
Opened	February 25, 2012
Construction cost	USD 300 million
Architect	KMD Architects Mexico

Mexico City Arena (Spanish: Arena Ciudad de México), is an indoor arena in Azcapotzalco, Mexico City, Mexico. It is used to host events such as concerts, sports events, and more. It was officially opened on February 25, 2012 The total cost of the arena was $300 million. The arena has a maximum capacity of 22,300 spectators. It is operated by Zignia Live. It is located in Avenida de las Granjas, close to Metro Ferrería Station, 'Fortuna' station of the Suburban Railway and next to TecMilenio University.

History

The construction began on March 18, 2009 where the Mexico City Mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, was present. The place where the Arena is located used to be the Old Ferreria Cattle Ranch many years ago. It is an 8 hectare land. KMD Architects Mexico was in charge of the design of the Arena along with AVALANZ Group. Construction companies Grupo Garza Ponce, Corey and ADIPPSA are responsible for the development. It is the most up-to-date Arena in Mexico City, the biggest and, if that wasn't enough, it is the first arena in the city to have its own parking lot. On November 17, 2010 there was an event that took place in the early construction of the Arena which was called '300 days'. Guillermo Salinas Pliego, head of AVALANZ, promised to finish the project in 300 days. He added "It looks difficult but, the Monterrey Arena was the same and it was finished in nine months". He also talked about the idea sent to KMD Architects for the design of the Arena. He wanted it to "be astonishing on an urban level. Like an icon of the city". The Arena was opened officially with a concert by Mexican singer Luis Miguel on February 25, 2012.

For the construction 5,000 tons of structural steel, 25,000 tons of reinforced steel and 100,000 cubic meters of concrete were used. 225,000 square meters of construction built on an 8 hectare land. The Arena is 45 meters high. It has 2 heliports, a parking lot with capacity of 5,000 cars, 124 luxury suites, 650 security cameras, 850 LCD screens and a capacity of 22,300 people depending on the event. One of the most distinctive things about the Arena are the outdoor LED screen, which has an area of 6,200 square meters, and the indoor screen in the centerhung, with an area of 700 square meters, making both of the screens one of the largest indoor and outdoor displays in the world. Also, 450 meters of digital rings can be seen inside. All of the LED displays are provided by Daktronics.

On February 24, 2012, one day before the official opening, Marcelo Ebrard unveiled the Arena's inauguration plaque. He spoke about the benefits of the Arena, one of them being the 2,500 permanent jobs and the development of Azcapotzalco. On the other hand, Guillermo Salinas mentioned that "this Arena built for the people in Mexico City will modernize the current entertainment infrastructure, because the last place built for that kind of purpose was the Sports Palace Dome, which was built in 1968".

Zignia Live promises the best shows in the city, given the alliance with Feld Entertainment. Shows like Disney On Ice, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam will take place on the Arena during 2012.

Additionally, the NBA has expressed interest in having a team in México, potentially in this arena. On December 4, 2013, regular-season game between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves scheduled at the arena was cancelled when a fire from a generator malfunction filled the building with smoke. As a result, their rematch would instead be played at the Target Center.

The most attended event so far has been the fight between Juan Manuel Márquez and Sergey Fedchenko.

Concerts

List of Concerts

• Luis Miguel – February 25–26, 2012
• Santana – March 11, 2012
• Pitbull – March 16, 2012
• Yanni – March 20, 2012
• Ricardo Arjona – March 24 and November 21–24, 2012
• Intocable – March 31, 2012
• Il Volo – April 18, 2012
• James – April 26, 2012, with Los Amigos Invisibles
• Paulina Rubio – April 27, 2012
• Los Jefes de Jefes del Rock Mexicano – April 28, 2012
• New Kids on the Block – June 24, 2012
• Maroon 5 – August 16 and 21, 2012, with Javier Colon
• The Expo Unitec Show – August 19, 2012
• Keane – August 30, 2012
• Scorpions – September 6, 2012, with Avalanch
• Def Leppard – September 8, 2012, with Poison and Lita Ford
• Linkin Park – September 14, 2012
• The Smashing Pumpkins – September 22, 2012, with A Band of Bitches
• Bryan Adams – October 20, 2012
• Maquinaria Festival – November 1–3, 2012
• Jamiroquai – February 25, 2013
• Chicago – March 1, 2013
• 3 Doors Down & Daughtry – March 11, 2013, with Aranda
• Garbage – April 18, 2013
• Tiësto – May 17, 2013
• Dash Berlin – August 16, 2013
• Matchbox 20 – September 23, 2013, with Lifehouse
• Lionel Richie – October 9, 2013
• The Pet Shop Boys – October 15, 2013
• Hillsong United – October 16, 2013
• El Tri – October 20, 2013
• Aerosmith – October 27, 2013
• Super Junior – November 7, 2013
• The HHH Festival – November 9–10, 2013
• Sarah Brightman – November 12–13, 2013
• NERVO – November 28, 2013, with Thomas Gold, Carnage, Vicetone and MAKJ
• Incubus – November 29, 2013
• The Armada Festival – December 14, 2013
• The Indio Alter RockFest – January 12, 2014
• Franco De Vita – January 31, 2014
• Big Time Rush – February 11, 2014
• Laura Pausini – February 28, 2014, with Francesco Renga
• Romeo Santos – March 8–9, 2014
• SHINee – April 4, 2014
• Dream Theater – April 24, 2014
• Il Divo – May 3, 2014
• The Electric Zoo Festival – May 4–5, 2014
• Hombres G – May 7, 2014
• Avril Lavigne – May 15, 2014
• Demi Lovato – May 16, 2014
• Michael Bublé – August 8–9, 2014
• Bruno Mars & The Hooligans – September 2–3, 2014

Gallery

• 
  Main entrance, bar terrace and outdoor LED screen
• 
  Outside view of the Arena
• 
  The Arena from a pedestrian bridge
• 
  Inside view of the Arena
• 
  Indoor LED screen
• 
  Parking lot
• 
  The outdoor LED screen of Mexico City Arena at night

External links

• Official site