80,000 Capacity Concert Stadium Announced As The Gabba's Demolition Confirmed

The Gabba, home to Brisbane’s AFL stadium, will be demolished after the 2025 Ashes to make way for a rebranded precinct called East Bank.

According to the Queensland state government, the new centrepiece will significantly increase patronage, with the venue currently holding 42,000 to 50,000 attendees for sporting events.

Under the new proposals, East Bank will hold up to 80,000 punters for concerts and other large-scale events, meaning that Brisbane will have a venue enormous enough to host the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Coldplay.

The rebranded East Bank will become the location for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and cost $2.7 billion.

Surrounding the massive stadium will be three pedestrian bridges connecting adjoining roads, retail, dining, housing, and open space to bring it all together.

According to the state government’s update to the infrastructure program, the design process is expected to begin in 2024 and last until 2026, with early demolition works commencing in 2025 and construction of the new building in 2026. The East Bank precinct is set for a 2030 ready-to-use launch.

The demolition of the Gabba and upgrade to the East Bank precinct follows other significant moves throughout the country as Lake Macquarie prepares to welcome a new 30,000-capacity music venue.

The event site is a $135 million development by the Cedar Mill Group at the old Morisset golf course. The crane moved in last week to set up the shell/half-dome stage centrepiece, with the venue looking to rival Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium with its built-for-purpose staging and rigging.

Earlier this year, The Music reported on the upcoming, permanent developments set in prime locations: The Domain in Sydney’s CBD, The Crescent in Parramatta Park, and Thompsons Creek Regional Parkland in Bradfield.

Cedar Mill Group, Business Sydney and Business Western Sydney have mapped out the case for “Greater Entertainment for Greater Sydney: Permanent Performance Shells in Sydney’s Iconic Parklands,” with the proposal promising to “revitalise Sydney’s outdoor entertainment sector, bringing over 2,300 permanent jobs and $450 million to its economy every year.”

In June, Melbourne’s iconic Festival Hall was revived as a full-time music venue following the purchase of the Pentecostal megachurch, Hillsong, in October 2020. Live Nation is now operating Festival Hall as a live music venue under a multi-year lease that will see bands, solo artists and (soon enough) the return of boxing.