Paris La Défense Arena
Paris La Défense Arena
This is a revolutionary stage which shatters the sport and event standards, as it is the largest multi-purpose venue in Europe, and also a genuine driver for local development in the Hauts-de-Seine region and Paris La Défense district. It will play host to the swimming and water polo events during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Memory Marker
Welcome to the most modern and largest indoor stadium in the whole of Europe.
This is a revolutionary stage which shatters the sport and event standards, as it is the largest multi-purpose venue in Europe, and also a genuine driver for local development in the Hauts-de-Seine region and Paris La Défense district.
It will play host to the swimming and water polo events during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, with its U-shaped seating and big screen amongst the largest in the world (2,400 square metres), Paris La Défense Arena ensures that the wide variety of experiences are just as immersive as they are interactive.
The venue has a capacity of 40,000 people when set up for concerts, 30,000 for rugby matches, with an unrivalled level of comfort and controlled temperature in both summer and winter. There are also 95 boxes and eight suites for 3,000 VIP guests to attend events and matches.
Through its fabric as a responsible and sustainable venue, Paris La Défense Arena supports an ambitious CSR initiative, “Memorable together”. In line with its mission and values, it has chosen to have all its activities certified to the ISO 20121 standard.
Inaugurated by none other than the Rolling Stones, the Paris La Défense Arena quickly became the home of Racing 92, taking rugby into a whole new and unique entertainment dimension whilst respecting the fundamentals of the game, much quicker and more attacking thanks to the soft grass, a state-of-the-art pitch designed specifically for this unique venue.
Paris La Défense Arena began the 2022-2023 season by hosting the last stage of the Tour de France.
Nearly 80 different events will take place at the Paris La Défense Arena throughout the 2023-2024 season: matches by the Racing 92 resident team, Supercross bringing together the world’s best competitors for a weekend, catwalk shows by prestigious fashion houses, conventions where large companies bring their employees together in one place and several concerts by the greatest international artists, including Taylor Swift, Michel Sardou, 50 Cent, Imagine Dragons, as well as 100 years of Disney and 30 years of Taratata.
Key figures
spectators welcomed to Paris La Défense Arena since its opening in 2017
consumed compared to 2019
Maximum capacity of the Paris La Défense Arena.
A committed enclosure with its “Memorable together” CSR programme
* 80% of purchases include at least one CSR criteria
* 80% recycled waste
About Frédéric LONGUÉPÉE,
Chief Executive Officer of Paris La Défense Arena
After a career as a gymnast which led him to participate in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Frédéric graduated from ESCP-EAP business school in 1995. He started his career with Ernst & Young as a financial auditor before joining the French Tennis Federation in 2002 as Deputy Director. His main mission was to manage the general administration, ticketing, hospitality and merchandising of the prestigious tournaments organised by the Federation, including the Roland Garros tournament.
In 2012, he joined Paris Saint- Germain as Deputy Managing Director in charge of commercial activities. He managed ticketing and hospitality operations, sponsorship, B2C and digital activities and event production. He successfully developed the brand internationally on the Asian and North American continents. He became President of Girondins de Bordeaux in 2018, a position he held for three years until the club was sold in July 2021.
He joined Paris La Défense Arena as Chief Executive Officer in April 2022.
Focus on Paris La Défense Arena
The 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons are shaping up to be impressive with the arrival of world stars and above all the confirmation of the Olympic and Paralympic swimming and water polo events of the 2024 Olympic Games!
