Ocesa hails ‘historic’ first year for GNP Seguros

Ocesa has toasted a ‘historic’ first year for its GNP Seguros Stadium, crediting the venue with elevating Mexico on the global touring map.

Since Bruno Mars raised the curtain on 10 August 2024, the Mexico City venue has hosted shows by the likes of Shakira, Metallica, Eric Clapton, Blink 182, The Killers, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney, Linkin Park, Olivia Rodrigo and Stray Kids.

These international stars, along with a slate of homegrown heroes, attracted more than 1.7 million visitors to the 65,000-capacity venue during its first year.

While Ocesa declined to share economic figures, the promoter said that “each large-scale concert generates hundreds of millions of pesos in local economic impact, benefiting hotels, restaurants, transportation, and other services”.

“These historic concerts have made the Mexican live entertainment market currently the third largest in the world,” says a spokesperson from Ocesa. “The GNP Seguros Stadium has been a key element in this success. Thanks to its infrastructure and the enthusiasm of the Mexican public, our country is a must-see stop on all world concert tours.”

No artist drew more visitors to GNP in the first 12 months than Shakira on her Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. The Colombian superstar smashed all records at the stadium with her historic run of eight consecutive sold-out concerts – part of 12 total shows in Mexico.

“These historic concerts have made the Mexican live entertainment market currently the third largest in the world”

With this run, the WME-repped star surpasses the record for the highest number of performances held at the stadium, previously held by Mexican band Grupo Firme. It also means Shakira’s shows are the highest-grossing in GNP’s history.

“Shakira has always had a deep-rooted bond with Mexican audiences but this return – her first in over six years – came with a different kind of energy,” Jorge Cambronero, from promoter Ocesa, told IQ earlier this year.

With a stellar 12 months in the books, Ocesa hopes to raise the bar for GNP’s sophomore year, which will feature concerts from the likes of Oasis, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, ATEEZ and Imagine Dragons.

“We expect the second year to maintain or even surpass the first in terms of large-scale concerts, with a diverse calendar that continues to bring the world’s most important tours to Mexico City,” adds the spokesperson.

GNP Seguros, which was recently recognised as one of IQ Magazine‘s Stadium Stars, is the world’s only permanent stadium that is purpose-built for concerts.

Inaugurated in 1993, the venue (formerly known as Foro Sol) closed in 2024 for its first-ever renovation. It was originally due to re-open in September of the same year with a concert by Metallica, but the renovation was sped up to secure Bruno Mars’s first shows in Mexico for six years.

Last year, IQ went behind the scenes of the renovation, led by renowned architect Pepe Moyao.

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