OVO Hydro

The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. The arena was initially named The Scottish Hydro Arena after its main sponsor Scottish Hydro Electric. During construction, Scottish Hydro Electric was rebranded as SSE and the arena was known as The SSE Hydro when it opened until October 2021, when it was announced that the name was to change to "OVO Hydro", after its new sponsor OVO Energy, with a focus on making the venue more sustainable. The arena was officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart. The OVO Hydro arena is located adjacent to the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events; with a maximum capacity of 14,300 and aims to attract one million visitors each year. The arena was the largest entertainment venue in Scotland, before the opening of Aberdeen's P&J Live in 2019, and the fifth largest in the UK. History Development and planning Planning for The Hydro began some time in 2001 as the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock in Glasgow. In May 2003, a plan had been unveiled for an entertainment arena, holding 12,300 seated audience members and an extra 2,000 standing. London-based architects Foster + Partners were appointed as the design team for the Hydro in May 2004, with Glasgow-based Elphinstone additionally appointed as the preferred developer for the site. The design of the arena was finally released to the press in October 2005, and the SECC gained full planning consent for the arena by 2006. Construction Construction for the arena began in February 2011 by construction company Lend Lease. By November 2011, building work for the roof of the arena had begun, which was completed by April 2013. The arena's signature translucent outer cushions were installed in May 2013, along with the seating inside of the arena, marking construction of the arena completed, taking two years to complete. 2013 roof fire At approximately 15:20 on Sunday 8 June 2013, flames were reported to be coming from the domed roof of the partially completed building. 40 firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended the blaze. It was determined that the fire was caused by ongoing welding work on the building's roof. On 18 June, the venue's operator revealed that despite additional challenges, work on the venue was still on track for completion. Events Sports On 14 December 2014, the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony was held at the venue. During the 2014 Commonwealth Games the SSE Hydro was home to the netball and gymnastic events. On 18 July 2015, the UFC held their inaugural Scottish event UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites at the Hydro. From 23 October to 1 November 2015, the SSE Hydro hosted the Artistic gymnastics world championships. In 2016, the venue hosted a heavyweight boxing fight between Dillian Whyte and Ian Lewison. Later, it has hosted four boxing fights headlined by Scottish light welterweight boxer Josh Taylor. It also hosted two rounds of the 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series. The Hydro was announced as one of the venues for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, hosting the Netball as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, marking the first time in the games’ history that the ceremonies will be held within an indoor arena. Professional wrestling On 20 November 2016, Scottish wrestling promotion Insane Championship Wrestling ran ICW Fear & Loathing IX at the Hydro in front of 6,193 fans and was described as the most attended independent UK and European wrestling event in 35 years. They returned the next year for ICW Fear & Loathing X. On 15 June 2024, WWE hosted its premium live event Clash at the Castle: Scotland at OVO Hydro, marking the company's first event in the country since 2002 and its first ever major, televised PPV event held in Scotland. As a prelude, WWE broadcast an episode of SmackDown from the arena on 14 June. In April 2025, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced that they would make their Scotland debut with a dual taping of AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision from the Hydro on 20 August 2025, the go-home show before Forbidden Door: London. In May 2026, it was announed that AEW would return to the venue with another dual taping of AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision on 26 August 2026, for the go-home show before All In: London. Filming location The OVO Hydro was used for exterior shots of the venue for the fictional 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. For the television show Running Point, the outside of the (fictional) Los Angeles Waves basketball arena is the OVO Hydro Politics The OVO Hydro was host to the largest televised debate seen in Scotland's history, Scotland Decides: The Big, Big Debate, held on the evening of Thursday 11 September 2014; towards the end of the Scottish independence referendum campaign. The Mentorn/BBC Scotland organised debate, in which every secondary school in Scotland was invited to take part, involved around 7,500 first time voters and was broadcast on BBC One during the evening of 11 September 2014 and was presented by James Cook. Ticket sales records In 2016, the arena handled 751,487 ticket sales, making it the eighth-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales. It also hosted the UFC's first event in Scotland. In 2019, the Hydro was the second busiest venue in the world behind Madison Square Garden. The venue attracts over 1 million visitors per year, making it a regular feature in the top ten arenas globally. References External links Media related to The SSE Hydro at Wikimedia Commons Official website