PARIS, France (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — VEGA, France’s leading venue manager, and Live Nation announced that they have been awarded an eight-year contract to manage and program the landmark Palais Nikaia, located in Nice, on the French Riviera. France is the world’s fifth largest music market.
Opened in 2001, the innovatively designed Nikaia comprises a 9,000 capacity arena, which hosted more than 50 shows last year drawing more than 200,000 music fans, as well as a smaller 500 capacity multi-purpose room. The arena also opens up into the adjacent Charles Ehrmann Stadium creating a 52,000 capacity open air venue. Live Nation presented last night’s sellout performance of the U2 360 Tour at the stadium and later this year French superstar Johnny Hallyday will play two dates at the venue.
VEGA manages a growing portfolio of concert and sporting venues throughout France, including Zeniths in the cities of Dijon, Limoges, Nancy and Strasbourg, whilst Live Nation operates and books over 150 venues worldwide, including House of Blues Clubs in North America, The Fillmore in San Francisco, the Hollywood Palladium, the O2 in Dublin and Wembley Arena in London.
Live Nation entered the French concert market in 2007, following the acquisition of Jackie Lombard Productions, and this year has already presented concerts by Tina Turner, Depeche Mode and Beyonce, with upcoming concerts by Madonna, U2, Coldplay and Fleetwood Mac. Earlier this month Live Nation presented the Main Square Festival in Arras, 100 kilometres north of Paris, which drew more than 80,000 music fans with headliners including Coldplay, Kanye West, Placebo and Lenny Kravitz.
Alan Ridgeway, Live Nation CEO of International Music, commented, “France is one of the strongest music markets in the world, and we are pleased to expand our global concert platform with a premier venue like the Palais Nikaia. We are looking forward to partnering with VEGA, and to bringing more of the world’s top artists to the Nikaia.”
Emmanuel de Lannurien, President of VEGA, added, “We are confident that Live Nation with its deep concert expertise is the right partner for us, and we believe that through the wide range of capacities the Nikaia Venue and the adjacent Stadium have to offer to promoters, Nice will become a “must” in touring for all kinds of international shows.” –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
