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The OVO Hydro

The Hydro
The OVO Hydro, then the SSE Hydro, in 2017
Former names	Scotland's National Arena (planning) Scottish Hydro Arena (construction) The SSE Hydro (September 30, 2013 – October 2021)
Address	Exhibition Way Stobcross Road
Location	Glasgow, Scotland
Coordinates	55°51′37″N 4°17′06″W / 55.860297°N 4.284926°W / 55.860297; -4.284926
Public transit	Exhibition Centre railway station
Owner	Scottish Event Campus Limited
Operator	AEG Live / ASM Global
Capacity	12,306 (all seated) 14,500 (with standing)
Construction
Broke ground	February 2011
Built	2011–2013
Opened	30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)
Construction cost	£125 million
Architect	Foster + Partners
Project manager	Turner & Townsend
Structural engineer	Arup
General contractor	Lendlease
Website
www.ovohydro.com

The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland.

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.

Professional wrestling

On 15 June 2024, WWE hosted its premium live event Clash at the Castle: Scotland at OVO Hydro, marking the company's first major event in the country. As a prelude, WWE broadcast an episode of SmackDown from the arena on 14 June.

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.

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 in New York City. The venue attracts over 1 million visitors per year, making it a regular feature in the top ten arenas globally.

References

1. OVO Hydro (14 October 2021). "ABOUT OVO HYDRO". Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
2. "Scottish Hydro Arena – new name for SECC National Arena, Glasgow". www.clydewaterfront.com. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
3. OVO Hydro (14 October 2021). "THE OVO HYDRO IS THE NEW NAME FOR SCOTLAND'S HOME OF LIVE ENTERTAINMENT". Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
4. ^ "Timeline". SSE Hydro Official Website. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
5. ^ "Timeline". thessehydro.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
6. "Plan for (pounds) 50m arena in SECC car park Banqueting centre could attract events such as Baftas". HeraldScotland. 26 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
7. "Foster and Partners appointed to design Scotlands National Arena | Foster + Partners". www.fosterandpartners.com. 5 May 2004. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
8. "Armadillo creators to design riverside arena (pounds) 50m plan for 12,500-seat centre". HeraldScotland. 29 April 2004. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
9. "SECC Urban Village - QD2 Housing, Elphinstone -". www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk. 25 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
10. "SECC unveils new £62m arena plan". 27 October 2005. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
11. "Arena approval helps games lobby". 11 July 2006. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
12. "Fire hits city's £125m Hydro venue". paisleydailyexpress.co.uk. Paisley Daily Express. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
13. "Glasgow Hydro fire: Crews tackle blaze in domed roof". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
14. "Firefighters tackle blaze at Hydro concert venue on the River Clyde". news.stv.tv. STV. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
15. "Welder's torch blamed for starting huge fire at Glasgow's new £125m Hydro arena". dailyrecord.co.uk. Daily Record. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
16. "Glasgow Hydro fire: Blaze caused by welding sparks". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 10 June 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
17. "Glasgow Hydro venue construction 'remains on target' despite fire". thecourier.co.uk. The Courier. 18 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
18. "BBC Sports Personality 2014: Shortlisted named for award". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
19. "SSE Hydro confirmed as host venue for Games Netball Final". Glasgow 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
20. "UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites". UFC. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
21. "The SSE Hydro – 2015 World Gymnastics Championships". www.2015worldgymnastics.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
22. Rose, Bryan (2 April 2024). "WWE Clash at the Castle: Scotland PLE set for June in Glasgow". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
23. "Eurovision Song Contest: Which UK cities could host 2023 show?". BBC News. 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
24. Taylor, Marianne; Fraser, Graham; Sayers, Louise; Currie, Martin (11 September 2014). "Referendum Live – as it happened". BBC News (Scotland), n.d. BBC. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
25. "Scottish independence: Plans announced for Scotland's 'biggest ever debate'". BBC News. 22 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
26. "Pollstar 2016 top 200 arena ticket sales" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
27. "Glasgow's SSE Hydro named world's second busiest arena venue". 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
28. Hydro, O. V. O. "About | OVO Hydro". www.ovohydro.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
29. "TOP 200 ARENA VENUES 2023, pollstar twitter account". 12 December 2023.

External links

Media related to The SSE Hydro at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website

• 2013 establishments in Scotland
• 2014 Commonwealth Games venues
• 2018 European Championships venues
• Boxing venues in Scotland
• Culture in Glasgow
• Darts venues
• Exhibition and conference centres in Scotland
• Foster and Partners buildings
• Gymnastics venues
• Indoor arenas in Scotland
• Music venues completed in 2013
• Music venues in Glasgow
• Netball venues in Scotland
• Sports venues completed in 2013
• Sports venues in Glasgow