RAC Arena Honoured As 'Best Indoor Arena' In Australia

Concertgoers in Perth (Boorloo) finally have something to brag about – well, aside from last year’s historic Coldplay shows – as RAC Arena has been crowned the best venue of its ilk in all of Australia.

The 11-year-old venue, also known as Perth Arena, was given the prestigious title Austadiums’ 2023 Stadium Awards, where it won the award for Best Indoor Arena in Australia. The award was voted on by the public, and accounted for a mighty 47 percent of their top picks. Voters also declared Perth’s HBF Park to be the Best Rectangular Stadium in Australia, and said Optus Stadium was Australia’s Best Stadium and the Best Cricket Ground. Damn, WA – go you!

In a press release, VenuesWest CEO David Etherton seemed very thankful for the accolades, saying he and his team are “delighted that VenuesWest has won four of a possible five honours at the 2023 Stadium Awards, with recognition across three of our venues”.

He added: “This achievement underlines an exceptional year for events in Western Australia and showcases the collaboration between VenuesWest, our operators VenuesLive and ASM Global, Tourism WA, and our stakeholders. In the past 12 months, these venues successfully hosted world-class events including [concerts from] Coldplay [and] Ed Sheeran, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the subsequent sold-out Matildas Olympic Qualifying games, UFC 284 and the United Cup.

“Particularly noteworthy is Optus Stadium’s consistent excellence, securing the Best Stadium award for the fourth consecutive time. Its dual recognition as Australia’s Best Cricket Ground further cements its position as a leading venue globally. The Best Rectangular Stadium award for HBF Park and the Best Indoor Arena award for RAC Arena reinforce our commitment to providing top-tier venues that exceed expectations in hosting international and local events.”

The excitement was shared by RAC Arena’s general manager, Michael Scott, who said in a statement of his own: “It’s an amazing feeling knowing that it was the fans that voted RAC Arena the Best Indoor Arena in Australia. It’s not only a testament to the venue’s hard-working staff, but to the wider team at ASM Global and our wonderfully supportive venue owners, VenuesWest. We couldn’t be prouder of this result and look forward to making 2024 bigger and better for the people of WA and beyond.

“Additional congratulations are in order for our sister ASM Global venues, Suncorp Stadium (QLD) and Qudos Bank Arena (NSW), who were also named amongst Australia’s best venues, with fans voting them in the top three for their respective categories.”

Shows coming up at RAC Arena include gigs headlined by blink-182, Matchbox Twenty, TLC and Iron Maiden.