Álvaro Covões reveals new concert hall in Lisbon set to be the city’s second largest by capacity

New concert hall in Lisbon to become the capital’s second largest by capacity

Álvaro Covões has disclosed that he is about to build a new concert hall in Lisbon from the ground up, which will become the second largest venue in the capital in terms of capacity. He shared the news in an interview with Expresso’s Economy supplement, due to be published this Friday.

Timeline, format and licensing

“I wanted it to be ready by the end of 2028”, Covões said, referring to the major investment behind a “multi-purpose” venue in Lisbon that will have a capacity somewhere between Campo Pequeno (which he already owns) and the Meo Arena. “We already have approval from the IGAC [General Inspection of Economic Activities] but we still need additional licences,” he added.

Everything Is New’s long-standing plan

The idea of a new events venue is something Everything Is New-the live music promoter of which he is chief executive-has been nurturing since at least 2007. That was the year the project, then planned for the riverside area of Santos, was shelved precisely to focus on launching the NOS Alive festival, which held its first edition that year. Even so, Covões declined to confirm or deny whether the current project will keep that same location.

“New venues are needed”

“New venues are needed,” he argues. “We, unlike others, have been investing. And we have several investments to make. When we see such low numbers for cultural consumption, it means there is a great opportunity. Because this will have to improve. If I believe that, it’s obvious that cultural infrastructure is missing. In fact, a private theatre has not been built from scratch since 25 April. They do not encourage private investment in culture and the State cannot do everything. The project we have is Lisbon’s second venue.”