The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located within the Scottish Event Campus in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, and is the largest entertainment venue in Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor

Scottish Hydro Electric Scottish Hydro plc was a public electricity supplier formed on 1 August 1989 after a change of name from North of Scotland Electricity plc on that date. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index ...

. The arena was known as The SSE Hydro until October 2021, when it was announced that the name was to change to "OVO Hydro", after its new sponsor

OVO Energy OVO Energy is a major energy supplier based in Bristol, England. It was founded by Stephen Fitzpatrick and began trading energy in September 2009, buying and selling electricity and gas to supply domestic properties throughout the UK. By Ju ...

, with a focus on making the venue more sustainable. The arena was officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

. The OVO Hydro arena is located adjacent to the

SEC Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, locate ...

and the

SEC Armadillo The SEC Armadillo (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located near the River Clyde, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the SEC Centre and the OVO Hydro.

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.

History

Development and planning

Translucent cushions being installed, July 2013

Planning for The Hydro began some time in 2001 as the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock in

. In May 2003, a plan had been unveiled for an entertainment arena, holding 12,300 seated audience members and 2,000 standing. London-based architects

Foster + Partners Foster + Partners is a British architectural, engineering, and integrated design practice founded in 1967 as Foster Associates by Norman Foster. It is the largest architectural firm in the UK with over 1,500 employees in 13 studios worldwide. ...

were appointed as the design team for the Hydro in May 2004, with Glasgow-based Elphinsone 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 finally 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 The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS; gd, Seirbheis Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn na h-Alba) is the national fire and rescue service of Scotland. It was formed by the merger of eight regional fire services in the country on 1 April 2013. ...

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

OVO Hydro and SEC Auditorium lit green for COP26

Entertainment

Sports

On 14 December 2014, the

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is the main award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the sportsperson, judged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year. The ...

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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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 The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships are the world championships for artistic gymnastics governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG). The first edition of the championships was held in 1903, exclusively for male gymnas ...

. In 2016, the venue hosted a heavyweight boxing fight between

Dillian Whyte Dillian Whyte (; born 11 April 1988) is a British professional boxer. He has formerly competed as a kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He held the WBC interim heavyweight title twice, between 2019 and 2020, and again from 2021 to April 2022 ...

and

Ian Lewison Ian Jason Lewison (born 23 September 1981) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2017. He challenged once for the British heavyweight title in 2016. Career Lewison travelled to Nanning, China to face Zhu Yu Wu on 24 Ju ...

. Later it has hosted four boxing fights headlined by Scottish light welterweight boxer

Josh Taylor Josh or Joshua Taylor may refer to: * Josh Taylor (actor) (born 1943), American comedy and dramatic television actor * Josh Taylor (baseball) (born 1993), American professional baseball pitcher * Josh Taylor (boxer) (born 1991), Scottish profession ...

. It also hosted two rounds of the 2018–19

World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...

Filming location

The OVO Hydro was used for exterior shots of the venue for the fictional 2020

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

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 A referendum on Scottish independence from the United Kingdom was held in Scotland on 18 September 2014. The referendum question was, "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which voters answered with "Yes" or "No". The "No" side wo ...

campaign. The

Mentorn The Tinopolis Group is an international TV production and distribution group with businesses based in the UK and US. It produces over 4,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters. History Llanelli, Wales, b ...

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...

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 James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

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

's first event in Scotland. In 2019, the Hydro was the second busiest venue in the world behind

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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

References

External links

* {{Authority control 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