Johannesburg Stadium in one of the most versatile venues in South Africa and therefore used for a diverse range of sports and public events. It is also the training ground for both the Golden Lions Rugby Union and the Orlando Football Club. The large stadium covers a 37,000 square meter area and originally it was built to accommodate athletics, although the venue is also perfect for an array of other events including culture festivals, wrestling, boxing, festivals such as arts, banquets, community events and international and national music concerts. Johannesburg Stadium is also used for inter-school events and other competitions.
The Johannesburg Stadium is operated by Ellis Park Stadium PTY Ltd and located in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, South Africa. It opened in 1992 and due to its unique sweeping roof design the venue is favoured by sports, music and the press alike for is excellent and well-equipped interview rooms and commentary positions, while the highly sophisticated auditorium offer state-of-the-art facilities and hosts 100 delegates.
Johannesburg Stadium Seating
Currently, the Johannesburg Stadium accommodates 36,000 seated people, while it also can accommodate 10,000 up to 15,000 people in the standing or floor area, which is often the most and most popular area expensive during concerts. The unique design of the stadium enable spectators to enjoy any activity both on the athletics track or field closely, and all seats offer superb viewing of sports and other events. The hospitality suites are glass-fronted to ensure the best view to sports enthusiasts while the VIP lounges are the ideal venues for corporate hospitality and entertainment being situated in the best position, overlooking the pitch area.
Versatility of Johannesburg Stadium
Most known for the huge variety of rugby and football matches hosted, the Johannesburg Stadium also hosted the IAAF World Cup in Athletics in 1998 as well as the All-African Games in 1999.
The stadium hosted two of the shows, part of Michael Jackson’s History World Tour and the sold-out shows took place on the 10th and 12th of October in 1997. It was also the venue chosen for the These Days Tour of Bon Jovi and hosted one show on the 22nd of March 1995, while it was also used for The Evolution Tour during Gloria Estefan’s shows in South Africa, and the event took place on the 1st of December 1995.
The Johannesburg Stadium was also the venue where the Wildest Dreams Tour of Tina Turner were concluded during her African tour, and the two shows took place on the 21st and 22nd of April 1996. Another major event took place on the 21st of March 1998, when the stadium hosted the Popmart Tour of U2, and on the 8th of February 2014, it hosted the South African tour event of Kendrick Lamar. The most recent and probably one of the most exciting events recently at the stadium was the first ever show in South Africa by the legends Guns N Roses.
