Thunder and lightning it’s getting exciting! As Lisbon gears up for the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest, the local media is reporting that the 2018 Eurovision venue will undergo a name change.

The 2018 Eurovision venue aka the MEO Arena will be renamed Altice Arena; the official announcement is expected to take place on Monday 16 October during a special event with circa 1,500 guests. Altice, the French group that owns MEO, is in the process of changing its brand in Portugal, and changing the name of the former Pavilhão Atlântico.

Our upcoming Eurovision venue was inaugurated as the Atlantic Pavillion back in 1998 when Lisbon hosted the 1998 Expo. This will be the 2nd time the arena will be changing names, Pavilhão Atlântico was renamed MEO Arena in May 2013, when Portugal Telecom announced that it had acquired the rights to the name of  the venue.

About the 2018 Eurovision venue

The former Atlatntic Pavillion is exquisitely located at Parque de Naçoes in Lisbon.

The MEO Arena (Atlantic Pavillion) has the capacity of accommodating circa 20,000 spectators and is located in the Expo 98 complex in the Portuguese capital. The venue is very close to Lisbon’s International Airport and there are lots of restaurants, hotels, attractions and entertainment hubs in the proximity, including the Vasco de Gama Shopping Centre and the Lisbon Ocenarium.

The multi-purpose indoor arena lies next to the extraordinary Oriente Station overlooking the Tagus river. The Eurovision arena is just a 20 minute ride from downtown Lisbon by metro. Lisbon’s metro is an excellent means of transport connecting the 2018 Eurovision arena both to the city centre and airport.

The MEO Arena was built in 1998 specially for the Lisbon Expo 98 and designed by Regino Cruz. The arena has great experience in hosting both international sports and musical events, accommodating thousands of spectators. The MEO Arena consists of a number of halls and venues: The MEO Arena Hall (Eurovision venue), The Tejo Hall, Business Centre, Moche Room, Arena Box and Portugal Pavillion.

We must not forget that the MEO Arena is a versatile venue which can adjust itself and has great experience in hosting a variety of events, such as trade fairs, concerts, conventions, corporate meetings, catering, seminars and corporate meetings. Having hosted circa 1,900 events in is 19 year history it is amongst Europe’s most sought after arenas and the perfect place to host Eurovision come May!

RTP is in full swing preparing for Eurovision 2018

Meanwhile, the Portuguese national broadcaster RTP is working hard and round the clock preparing for the forthcoming 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Portugal is all set to showcase 3 extraordinary shows come May. Eurovision 2018 will showcase the best of Lisbon and Portugal adding some unique Portuguese essence to the event.

The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 8, 10 and 12 May in Lisbon, Portugal.