What to know about newly commissioned Lagos Arena

Nigeria’s top musical artists have dominated the international scene in recent years. Artists like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido have sold out historic international centres like Madison Square Garden and O2 Arena London, among others, to further solidify the global appeal of the nation’s music industry.

While these artists have put on great shows on the international scene, local audiences have had to largely settle for watching/streaming these shows without witnessing them. This might not be the case soon with Lagos State, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recently commissioning the building of an indoor 12,000-capacity event centre called ‘The Lagos Arena’ at the Palms Mall, 1 Bisway Street, Maroko, Lekki, Lagos.

The arena, whose name mirrors London’s O2 Arena, is “inspired by global standards, elevating Lagos to the forefront of the global events space,” according to the governor.

Sanwo-Olu noted that the centre, set for completion in December 2025, will be a beacon of possibilities for the Nigerian entertainment industry and will set the stage for world-class entertainment.

“The aim is to bring Lagos up to par with its global peers, making it a go-to destination for premier international events,” Sanwo-Olu wrote on his X handle.

The Lagos Arena, which has an area of 25.600 sqm, is a multipurpose hall designed mainly as a concert hall but will also host congresses and sports activities such as basketball, futsal, tennis, volleyball, handball, and boxing matches.

The centre, designed by Yazgan Design Architecture, stands by the river as a landmark reminiscent of a superyacht with its white rings embracing the cascading volume. The cascading volume offers expansive terraces on different levels for social activities with a nice view towards the river and the ocean.

Yazgan is most popular in Turkey as it designed state-of-the-art buildings in the country, such as the Asım Kibar OIZ office, YDA centre, the Reneza, Ankara Aerospace. and many more.

The centre aims to be a hotspot for entertainment just like its predecessors, like Eko Hotel’s convention centre and Landmark event centre. The eventual completion of the arena is meant to offer Nigerian musicians a home for their local shows to thrive.