Araneta Coliseum
"The Big Dome" | |
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| Location | Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City |
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| Coordinates | 14°37′14″N 121°3′12″E / 14.62056°N 121.05333°E |
| Owner | Progressive Development Corporation |
| Operator | United Promotions, Inc. (Uniprom) |
| Capacity | 23,448 Maximum 15,983 Boxing 15,657 Center stage 14,711 Basketball 10,638 Cockpit 24,679 Concert 9,052 Ice show |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1957 |
| Opened | March 16, 1960 |
| Tenants | |
| NCAA (1960-present) UAAP (1960-present) PBA (1975-1984, 1995-present) | |
The Araneta Coliseum is an indoor sport stadium located in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. It has hosted entertainment events in the country.
History
In 1952, J. Amado Araneta, a business tycoon, purchased a 35-hectare property in Cubao that is now the Araneta Center from Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The property, which includes the Araneta family home, is bounded by Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue, Aurora Boulevard, P. Tuazon and 15th Avenue. It is the centerpiece of the Araneta Center, offering a one-stop shopping, dining and entertainment experience.
Construction of the Araneta Coliseum was started in 1957 and finished in late 1959. In 1960 to 1963, the Coliseum received international recognition as the "Biggest covered coliseum in the world". Even today, it still remains as one of the largest clear span domes in the world and the largest indoor facility in Asia with a dome diameter of 108 meters. It occupies a total land area of almost 40,000 square metres and has a floor area or 2,300 square metres.
The coliseum opened on March 16, 1960, with Gabriel "Flash" Elorde boxing for the World Junior Lightweight crown from American Harold Gomes. More than 33,000 spectators [citation needed] watched the contest. General admission then was 80 centavos and reserve section was five pesos.
Throughout the years, the Araneta Coliseum management adheres to the commitment of J. Amado Araneta to provide the Filipino people with the best entertainment at the lowest admission possible. [neutrality is disputed] Some of the most remembered performances were the 11th and 34th FAMAS Awards, "Thrilla in Manila" which was the Ali-Frazier World Heavyweight Championship Fight, the Philippine Basketball Association Games, and annually, the Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant.
In 1999, the coliseum underwent its first major renovation at the cost of P200 million.[1]
On December 2005, the Ang Dating Daan 25th Anniversary broke the record of 22,000 plus in one big occasion. June 3, 2008 an estimated over 30,000 people of the Ang Dating Daan join the Bible Exposition in the said venue. [citation needed] Last September 30, 2007, an estimated crowd of 23,315 crammed the coliseum to watch the pivotal Game 2 of the basketball semifinals between rivals De La Salle University Green Archers and Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles UAAP Season 70. It is so far the highest recorded basketball game crowd after the renovations.Then at The 2008 PBA Fiesta Conference Finals between Air21 Express and Barangay Ginebra Kings 22,902 people watched the do-or-die game for the championship. The 2008 UAAP Samsung Cheerdance Competition held a record breaking crowd of 23, 448 people who rocked the coliseum.[2]
Usage
Sports Usage
The arena is primarily the home arena for the Philippine Basketball Association and the UAAP basketball leagues. The facility has also hosted the 1975 Thrilla in Manila, 1978 FIBA World Championship the 2007 Philippines World Pool Championship.
It annually hosts every PBA Basketball Championship, NCAA Basketball Championship as well as UAAP Basketball Championship.
Araneta is one of the two arenas as the main home of the PBA, the other being the Cuneta Astrodome.
Other events
It also hosts many non-sporting events, such as concerts, shows, graduations, seminars, Disney on Ice, the circus, and beauty pageants.
Facilities
Nicknamed “The Big Dome,” it hosts sporting and entertainment events in the country.
Construction of the Araneta Coliseum started in 1957 and ended in late 1959. it occupies a total land area of almost four hectares and has a 2,300-square meter floor area.
The Araneta Coliseum embarked on a P250-million renovation in 1999. the renovation includes a complete back-of-the-house overhaul with the construction of a plush locker, dressing, production and press rooms. All seats for the premier sections in the patron and lower box areas were replaced.
The Aranetas installed a new catwalk to accommodate the most technically demanding event setups in addition to housing a four-sided center hung scoreboard, the only one of its kind in the Philippines.
Capacity
The Araneta Coliseum has the largest capacity in Southeast Asia garnering almost 25,000 seats.
The Coliseum's large seating capacity (14,711 for basketball; up to 24,679 for end-stage concerts and 15,657 for center-stage concerts) and suburban location have also made it very popular for large concerts and, to a slightly lesser degree, major boxing matches.
Notable events at the Araneta Coliseum
Sports events
- 1975 Thrilla in Manila
- 1978 World Basketball Championship[3]
- 2007 Philippines World Pool Championship
Regular events
- PBA Basketball: elimination round (selected games), Playoffs (selected games), PBA Finals
- UAAP Basketball: Opening Ceremonies, Regular Season (selected games), UAAP Cheerdance Competition, Final Four and UAAP Finals
- NCAA Basketball: Opening Ceremonies, NCAA Cheerdance Competition, NCAA Eliminations, NCAA Semi-Finals and NCAA Finals
Entertainment events
- FAMAS Awards of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences:
- The 11th FAMAS Awards on April 14, 1963
- The 34th FAMAS Awards on May 18, 1986
Regular events
- Binibining Pilipinas (annually)
Notes
References
External links
- Araneta Coliseum official website
- Araneta Center official website
- The Unofficial Website of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences
14°37′14″N 121°3′12″E / 14.62056°N 121.05333°E{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page
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