# Žalgiris Arena

Žalgirio Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. The arena is located on an island of the Nemunas River and is the largest indoor arena in the Baltics. The arena's maximum possible seating capacity for basketball games is 15,415, and 20,000 spectators for concerts (when the stage is in the middle, and 17,000 when stage is in the side of the arena). The Žalgiris Arena replaced the Kaunas Sports Hall as a major venue in the city.
The Žalgirio Arena is used to host basketball games as well as concerts. The arena's namesake basketball club BC Žalgiris, which currently competes in the domestic LKL and the EuroLeague, uses the facility for all of its European and LKL home fixtures. BC Žalgiris and Žalgiris Arena has had the highest average attendance in the Euroleague in 2011–12, 2012–13, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21.

## History

The arena's construction started in September 2008; the main contractor of the arena is the Lithuanian construction company Vėtrūna, chief architect – Eugenijus Miliūnas. The total cost of the arena is estimated to be 168.8 million litas (50 million euros). The arena was opened on 18 August 2011 with a basketball match between Lithuania and Spain.
The Žalgiris Arena held the playoffs and finals of the 37th European Basketball Championship (EuroBasket 2011), which took place in September 2011.
On 5 December 2015, the Lithuanian group SEL set a new attendance record in the arena - 20,517 spectators with 360 stage concert.
On 6 January 2016, EuroLeague clubs general managers voted Žalgiris Arena as the tournament's best arena.
The venue hosted some matches of the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, including the opening and final matches.
On June 19, 2022, the highest attendance record of a foreign artist in indoor spaces in Lithuania was achieved - Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia Tour concert was watched by 15,656 spectators.
On 19 December 2022, Kaunas was announced as a host city for the 2023 EuroLeague Final Four, the first in Lithuania's sports history. The Final Four was held on 19–21 May 2023 in the Žalgiris Arena and the Real Madrid Baloncesto won the Grand Final versus the Olympiacos B.C. 79–78.

## Arena information

The Žalgiris Arena is the largest in the Baltic states and covers 39,684 m$^2$ (427,160 sq ft). It holds 20,000 spectators for concerts. It is situated in the eastern part of the Nemunas river island and its shape has nine corners. The arena's facade is made of high-end and highly transparent glass. A part of the facade has a unique metal wall, which is already naturally encrusted with rust.
It is equipped with some unique technical solutions, such as power windows and modern ice-making installation. Advanced audio equipment (amplifiers, digital mixing engines and stage boxes) by Yamaha is installed in the Žalgiris Arena. The arena has 48 VIP suites, 21 suites for the Žalgiris basketball club and media, 9 suites for a single rent, an exhibition hall, and a fitness center. There are 8 halls in the arena, where more than 150 various events take place annually.
The complex has been expanded with a 50-meter Olympic pool with 10 lanes and seating for 500 spectators was installed in the arena and opened its doors in September 2022. Adjacent is an additional 25-meter pool with two 90-cm-deep lanes for teaching children to swim. The pool, equipment and facilities are adapted to meet the requirements of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) allowing it to host international level competitions.

## Major events

Since its opening in 2011, Žalgiris Arena hosted many concerts. The main stars, who held concerts in Kaunas were: Sting, Eric Clapton, Slash, Katie Melua, Prodigy, James Blunt, Hurts, Zucchero.
List of concerts at Žalgiris Arena, showing date, artist, tour and attendance :
| Date | Artist | Tour | Attendance |
| 16 October 2011 | Jean-Michel Jarre | Indoors Arena Tour | — |
| 12 November 2011 | Lenny Kravitz | Black and White Europe Tour | — |
| 6 February 2012 | Rammstein | Made in Germany 1995–2011 | — |
| 12 June 2012 | Marilyn Manson | Hey Cruel World... Tour | — |
| 28 July 2012 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | I'm with You World Tour | — |
| 7 December 2013 | Sel | NOVATURO 15-asis atostogų sezonas pristato – SEL išskirtinis koncertas | ~17,000 |
| 19 December 2013 | Elton John | The Diving Board Tour | — |
| 31 October 2014 | Kylie Minogue | Kiss Me Once Tour | — |
| 2 December 2014 | Enrique Iglesias | Sex and Love Tour | — |
| 6 December 2014 | Sel | SEL 360 | 20,024 |
| 5 April 2015 | Robbie Williams | Let Me Entertain You Tour | — |
| 5 December 2015 | Sel | SEL 360 2015 | 20,517 |
| 9 April 2016 | Mariah Carey | The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour | — |
| 17 June 2016 | Muse | Drones World Tour | — |
| 23 June 2016 | Iron Maiden | The Book of Souls World Tour | — |
| 24 October 2017 | Nelly Furtado | — | — |
| 17 November 2017 | Queen and Adam Lambert | Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017–2018 | — |
| 11 March 2018 | "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka | — | — |
| 4 May 2018 | Bryan Adams | Ultimate Tour | — |
| 23 March 2019 | Inga Jankauskaitė | Mano Vienintelis | — |
| 4 November 2019 | Sarah Brightman | Hymn: Sarah Brightman In Concert | — |
| 16 February 2020 | Jazzu | Mano namai | — |
| 16 December 2021 | Marijonas Mikutavičius | 50 | — |
| 14 February 2022 | Jazzu | Sapnas | — |
| 18 May 2022 | OneRepublic | Live in Concert | — |
| 31 May 2022 | Iron Maiden | Legacy of the Beast World Tour | — |
| 19 June 2022 | Dua Lipa | Future Nostalgia Tour | 15,656 |
| 1 December 2022 | Justinas Jarutis | — | — |
| 13 December 2022 | Inga Valinskienė | Koncertinis turas "Meilės muzika" | — |
| 16 December 2022 | Jessica Shy | Jessica Shy - Arena Show | ~11,000 |
| 25 December 2022 | Andrius Mamontovas | Kitoks Pasaulis | — |
| 26 December 2022 | Inga Jankauskaitė | — | — |
| 28 December 2022 | Kastytis Kerbedis | Taip! | — |
| 11 February 2023 | Natalija Bunkė | Verta Milijono | — |
| 11 October 2023 | 50 Cent | The Final Lap Tour | — |
| 1 December 2023 | Loreen | The Tattoo Tour | — |
| 16 December 2023 | Jessica Shy | Pasaka | ~15,000 |
| 23 December 2023 | Jazzu | Karma | — |
| 27 December 2023 | Donny Montell | 360 | — |
| 31 December 2023 | Marijonas Mikutavičius | Naujametinis show | — |
| 10 February 2024 | Natalija Bunkė | Kosmosas | — |
| 8 March 2024 | Kastytis Kerbedis | Visoms karalienėms | — |
| 15 March 2024 | Vaidas Baumila | Arena Show | — |
| 23 March 2024 | Monika Liu | Su LNOBT simfoniniu orkestru | — |
| 26 March 2024 | Auksiniai svogūnai 2024 | — | — |
| 27 April 2024 | 69 Danguje | Velniškas Greitis – 20 Metų | — |
| 18 May 2024 | J Balvin | Que Bueno Volver a Verte Tour | — |
| 9 June 2024 | Sting | My Songs | — |
| 14 December 2024 | Sel | SEL Kaunas | ~20,000 |
| 27 December 2024 | Donny Montell | Arena Show | — |
| 29 December 2024 | Justinas Jarutis | — | — |
| 18 January 2025 | GJan | SÃGA | ~11,000 |
| 31 January 2025 | Elderbrook | — | — |
| 7 February 2025 | Gabrielė Vilkickytė | — | — |
| 15 February 2025 | Eurovizija.LT 2025 | — | — |
| 21 February 2025 | Žemaitukai | Lietuva | 14,223 |
| 28 February 2025 | Andrius Mamontovas | Mono Arba Stereo | — |
| 7 March 2025 | Žilvinas Žvagulis | 60 | — |
| 8 March 2025 | Mantas Jankavičius | Muzika žvaigždėse | — |
| 14 March 2025 | Lilas ir Innomine | — | — |
| 26 March 2025 | Auksiniai svogūnai 2025 | — | — |
| 29 March 2025 | Ieva Dūdaitė | Grand Piano Show | — |
| 5 April 2025 | Delfinai | Delfinai. Čia ir dabar | — |
| 17 April 2025 | Chris Norman & Band | — | — |
| 23 April 2025 | Rod Stewart | One Last Time Tour | — |
| 26 April 2025 | Džordana Butkutė | Man patinka | — |
| 5 May 2025 | ATB | ATB 2025 World Tour | — |
| 30 May 2025 | Martin Garrix | Arena Fest | — |
| 20 June 2025 | Kylie Minogue | Tension Tour | — |
| 26 September 2025 | PVS Roast of Mantas Stonkus | — | — |
| 5 November 2025 | OneRepublic | Escape To Europe 2025 Tour | — |
| 18 December 2025 | Kelias į žvaigždes | 20 metų | — |
| 20 December 2025 | Kastytis Kerbedis | Toks Vienintelis | — |
| 26 December 2025 | Grupė 2 | Už laiką | — |
Motocross World Championship event Night of the Jumps also took place in Žalgiris Arena in March 2013. This event was part of Night of the Jumps world tour. The arena hosted the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup group, play-offs and final matches. The Žalgirio Arena is hosting the 36th Final Four of the modern EuroLeague Final Four era on 19–21 May 2023. On 10–14 January 2024, Žalgirio arena hosted ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2024. Žalgirio arena will also host the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026.

## EuroLeague attendance

This is a list of EuroLeague games attendance of Žalgiris at Žalgiris Arena.
| Pos | Season | Total | High | Low | Average |
| 1 | 2011–12 | 105,307 | 15,000 | 9,150 | 13,163 |
| 1 | 2012–13 | 161,103 | 15,420 | 10,190 | 13,475 |
| 7 | 2013–14 | 118,433 | 12,000 | 8,150 | 9,869 |
| 6 | 2014–15 | 117,040 | 14,382 | 8,670 | 10,640 |
| 2 | 2015–16 | 131,998 | 14,790 | 8,702 | 11,000 |
| 2 | 2016–17 | 171,266 | 15,231 | 8,621 | 11,418 |
| 1 | 2017–18 | 230,518 | 15,525 | 10,195 | 13,560 |
| 1 | 2018–19 | 251,742 | 15,517 | 13,569 | 14,808 |
| 1 | 2019–20 | 199,088 | 15,342 | 9,405 | 14,221 |
| 1 | 2020–21 | 10,381 | 5,131 | 239 | 3,460 |
| 4 | 2021–22 | 106,830 | 12,686 | 4,863 | 7,630 |
| 2 | 2022–23 | 266,917 | 15,293 | 11,024 | 14,829 |
| 4 | 2023–24 | 251,136 | 15,222 | 12,881 | 14,773 |
* ↑ Only Top 16 matches were played.