Altice Arena rises beside the Tagus River in Lisbon’s Parque das Nacoes, its shell-like roof one of the most recognizable silhouettes to come out of the 1998 Lisbon World Expo. Designed by Portuguese architect Regino Cruz working with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the building was conceived to evoke a sea turtle’s shell or a horseshoe crab, with its timber roof grid modeled on the hull of a carrack, a nod to the Expo’s oceanic theme.
Opened in 1998 as Pavilhao Atlantico, the venue has changed sponsor names several times over the decades, running as Pavilhao Atlantico, MEO Arena, Altice Arena, and back to MEO Arena again in 2024. Regardless of the name on the marquee, it has remained Portugal’s largest indoor arena and a fixture on major touring circuits, drawing acts from Madonna to Beyonce to Adele.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Parque das Nacoes, Lisbon, Portugal
- Type: Multi-purpose indoor arena
- Opened: 1998 (as Pavilhao Atlantico)
- Capacity: About 20,100 for concerts
- Architect: Regino Cruz, with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
- Famous for: Eurovision Song Contest 2018 and Web Summit
A Stage Built From an Expo
The arena began life as one of the signature structures of Expo ’98, built to host events during Lisbon’s world’s fair before becoming a permanent home for sports and entertainment. Its main floor sits roughly 6.4 meters below ground level, a design choice that reduced the building’s visual bulk against the riverside skyline and helped manage heat exchange inside the bowl.
That sunken layout, paired with the sweeping timber-lined roof, gives the venue an unusually intimate feel for a room that can hold over 20,000 people, and it has made the arena a favorite stop for major world tours passing through the Iberian Peninsula.
From Handball to Eurovision
Beyond music, the arena has hosted the 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships and the 2003 World Men’s Handball Championship final. Its highest-profile moment on the global stage came in May 2018, when it served as the host venue for the Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers across Europe.
The venue has also anchored Web Summit, one of the world’s largest technology conferences, and continues to rotate between naming-rights sponsors while functioning day to day as Lisbon’s primary arena for touring concerts, championship sports, and large-scale conventions.
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Altice Arena FAQs
Is Altice Arena still called Altice Arena?
No. The venue reverted to its earlier name, MEO Arena, in February 2024 after operating as Altice Arena from 2017 to 2024. It has also been known as Pavilhao Atlantico.
How many people does Altice Arena hold?
The arena has a capacity of about 20,100 for concerts, making it the largest indoor venue in Portugal.
What is Altice Arena known for?
It is best known for hosting the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, the annual Web Summit technology conference, and a steady lineup of major international concert tours.
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Photo: Wolfgang Pehlemann / CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.