Royal Arena is a multi-purpose indoor venue in the Ørestad South district of Copenhagen, Denmark, built to fill a long-standing gap between the city’s smaller halls and its outdoor stadiums. Designed by architecture firm 3XN with arena specialists HKS Inc., the building opened on February 3, 2017, after construction that began in mid-2013 and cost roughly DKK 1 billion.
Metallica played the first-ever concert at the new arena on February 3, 2017, an honor made more personal by the fact that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is Danish. A planned second show on February 5 was postponed after frontman James Hetfield fell ill and was ordered by doctors not to sing; that date was later rescheduled and played in September 2017. Since its opening, Royal Arena has hosted a mix of global touring acts, esports tournaments, and major international sporting championships, cementing its role as Copenhagen’s primary large-scale event space.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Ørestad South, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Type: Multi-purpose indoor arena
- Opened: February 3, 2017
- Capacity (concerts): up to about 17,000
- Capacity (ice hockey): about 12,500
- Capacity (handball): about 13,000
- Architect: 3XN with HKS Inc.
- Famous for: Opening night concert by Metallica
A Venue Built for Big Nights
Royal Arena’s bowl configuration allows its capacity to flex between roughly 12,500 and 17,000 depending on the event, giving it room to host everything from intimate seated shows to full-scale arena tours. The design by Danish firm 3XN, working alongside HKS Inc., prioritized sightlines and acoustics for both sport and music, which has helped the venue become a regular stop for major international touring artists visiting Scandinavia.
Metallica’s opening run set an eventful tone for the venue: after the February 3 debut, illness forced the band to postpone its second scheduled date and reschedule other shows in the run, with the postponed concert eventually played that September. Despite the disruption, the arena quickly established itself as the default home for large-scale concerts in Copenhagen, a role the city had previously lacked a comparable indoor space to fill.
More Than a Concert Hall
Beyond music, Royal Arena has hosted an array of major sporting and competitive events, including the 2017 European Short Course Swimming Championships, the 2018 IIHF World Championship, the 2019 World Men’s Handball Championship, and Denmark’s first-ever UFC event, also in 2019. It has also become a fixture on the esports calendar, hosting Counter-Strike tournaments and, in 2024, The International Dota 2 championship.
That dual identity as both a concert venue and a top-tier sporting arena reflects the original goal behind its construction: giving Copenhagen a modern facility large enough for events that its older venues simply couldn’t accommodate.
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Royal Arena FAQs
When did Royal Arena open?
Royal Arena opened on February 3, 2017, in the Ørestad South area of Copenhagen, Denmark.
What is the capacity of Royal Arena?
Capacity varies by event type, ranging from about 12,500 for ice hockey up to around 17,000 for concerts.
Who played the first concert at Royal Arena?
Metallica played the arena’s opening concert on February 3, 2017, notably featuring the band’s Danish drummer, Lars Ulrich. A second planned show on February 5 was postponed after James Hetfield fell ill and was rescheduled to that September.
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Photo: Jenny Andersson / News Oresund / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.