Velodrom

Berlin’s Velodrom is a 12,000-capacity arena in Prenzlauer Berg whose scale stays largely concealed beneath a landscaped plateau. Inside, a 250-metre cycling track of Siberian spruce circles the floor, while a 142-metre spoked-wheel roof spans the room without internal supports. That combination gives large concerts an unusually open, circular shell: an arena built for track racing that can shift into a full standing or seated show.

From market hall to Olympic-bid arena

The site previously held the Werner-Seelenbinder-Halle, a former wholesale-market hall converted into a sports and festival hall in 1950. The Berlin State Archive records its demolition in January and February 1993. Berlin then commissioned French architect Dominique Perrault’s Velodrom as part of its bid for the 2000 Olympics. Sydney won the Games, and planners expanded the project during construction into a multipurpose arena for music, sport, television and events. The first public event arrived on January 23, 1997: the 86th Berlin Six-Day Race. Formal completion and handover to the Berlin Senate followed in September 1997. The earlier hall’s name lives on in the Velodrom’s Seelenbinderhalle, a divisible side space with its own permanent grandstand.

The room for a show

Velodrom’s booking model suits arena-scale touring concerts alongside sport, esports, shows, television productions and corporate events. Its music diary spans pop, alternative, metal, rap and dance, matching a room designed for changing stage and seating plans. Expect either a standing floor or seated configuration, 5,668 permanent seats, and wide concourses with 16 food stands. The largely underground structure keeps the exterior low-key; indoors, the high circular roof and clear 68-by-38-metre arena make the performance space feel expansive.