Charlotte Fernández
UKIMEA Press Office,Leeds
The stunning new £60m First Direct Arena, in Leeds, officially opened today.
Positioned in the heart of the city, First Direct Arena is a world-class music venue with a capacity of 13,500 people. Designed to maximise the quality of live music performances, its unique fan-shaped interior will optimise sight lines to focus every seat at centre stage and bring the public closer to the show.
The multi-purpose facility has been designed so that the space can be easily modified to meet the changing requirements of a diverse event schedule, which could also include theatre and sports.
The veteran entertainer, Elton John, performed on opening night to launch the arena. Elton’s performance marks the beginning of an opening fortnight of varied events that are being held at the venue.
“"When the council first pledged to ensure an arena would be built for the city of Leeds it was with the determination that it would be a cutting-edge venue; with superb design and technical specifications to attract the finest of the world’s performing artists. Now we have firmly achieved that, in no small part due to very successful partnerships with everyone involved in the project, from design through to construction." Councillor Wakefield, Leeds City Council
“"We’ve managed to deliver a world-class venue that will offer a superior music experience for visitors, whilst satisfying strict requirements on limiting noise breakout. The arena is a fantastic addition to the city that will allow Leeds to compete on a national and international stage, and is forecast to become one of the top five venues in the world." Jim Bell, project director, Arup