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Forest National

Multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Forest Nationalmap

Forest National (French) or Vorst Nationaal (Dutch) is a multi-purpose arena located in the municipality of Forest in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold more than 8,000 people. It hosts indoor sporting events as well as concerts by a wide variety of artists.

Quick Facts Address, Location ...
Forest National / Vorst Nationaal
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Exterior view of venue
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AddressAvenue Victor Rousseau / Victor Rousseaulaan 208
Location1190 Forest, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°48′35″N 4°19′34″E
OwnerMusic Hall Group[1]
Operatorbe•at[1]
Capacity8,400
Construction
Opened8 October 1970 (1970-10-08)
Renovated1995, 2014
Tenants
Brussels Royal IHSC (1983–2008)[2]
Website
www.forest-national.be/en
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The arena, which opened in 1970, offers between 2,500 and 8,000 seats, depending on the event and is a member of European Arenas Association (EAA).[3] Known for its circular interior, it is owned by the Music Hall Group and operated by be•at (formerly Sportpaleis Group).[1]

History

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Perspective

Forest National opened on 8 October 1970 with a performance by Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century.[4] Originally, it had a capacity of 5,500 seats. A renovation followed in 1995, which increased the capacity to 8,400 seats and improved lighting and sound systems. On that occasion, the façade was renovated, the foyer was expanded, and a new stage adjustable in height and width was also installed.[1]

In 2005, there were plans for a new venue on the border with the Flemish municipalities of Drogenbos and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. It was to be almost twice as large (12,000 to 15,000 seats)[5] and should have been opened in September 2010.[6] However, on 3 September 2008, it was announced that the owner, Music Hall Group NV, had decided not to build a new concert hall.[7]

In 2013, the Sportpaleis Group took over the operation of the hall, while Music Hall Group remained as the owners.[8] The following year, renovations followed, with the seats numbered and new foyers provided. One of these foyers is located in an old backstage room where a 'Wall Of Fame' was created because artists wrote personal messages on the wall. This can be visited by the public. The renovation works were carried out in 2014 by Mathieu Gijbels and ABV + Architecten.[9]

Events

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Interior of the arena

Forest National has hosted sports competitions such as the Donnay Indoor Championships tennis tournament from 1981 to 1992 and the Belgian Basketball Cup since the 2014–15 season.[10][11] It was the home arena for Brussels Royal IHSC ice hockey team until 2008.[2] Between 18 and 20 September 2015, in front of a total of 17,000 spectators, a new record attendance record for the Davis Cup tennis event in Belgium was set in the semi-final between Belgium and Argentina (3:2).[12] On 17 March 2025, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) recorded an episode of WWE Raw live for Netflix from the arena.[13]

Noted performers

International artists that performed in Forest National include:[14][1]

See also

References

External links

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