Forest National

Multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium

Forest National / Vorst Nationaal

* Forest National (French)
* Vorst Nationaal (Dutch)

Exterior view of venue

Address| Avenue Victor Rousseau / Victor Rousseaulaan 208
Location| 1190 Forest, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates| 50°48′35″N 4°19′34″E﻿ / ﻿50.80972°N 4.32611°E﻿ / 50.80972; 4.32611
Owner| Music Hall Group[1]
Operator| be•at[1]
Capacity| 8,400
Construction
Opened| 8 October 1970 (1970-10-08)
Renovated| 1995, 2014
Tenants
Brussels Royal IHSC (1983–2008)[2]
Website
www.forest-national.be/en

Forest National (French) or Vorst Nationaal (Dutch) is a multi-purpose arena located in the municipality of Forest in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold more than 8,000 people. It hosts indoor sporting events as well as concerts by a wide variety of artists.

The arena, which opened in 1970, offers between 2,500 and 8,000 seats, depending on the event and is a member of European Arenas Association (EAA).[3] Known for its circular interior, it is owned by the Music Hall Group and operated by be•at (formerly Sportpaleis Group).[1]

## History

[edit]

Forest National opened on 8 October 1970 with a performance by Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century.[4] Originally, it had a capacity of 5,500 seats. A renovation followed in 1995, which increased the capacity to 8,400 seats and improved lighting and sound systems. On that occasion, the façade was renovated, the foyer was expanded, and a new stage adjustable in height and width was also installed.[1]

In 2005, there were plans for a new venue on the border with the Flemish municipalities of Drogenbos and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. It was to be almost twice as large (12,000 to 15,000 seats)[5] and should have been opened in September 2010.[6] However, on 3 September 2008, it was announced that the owner, Music Hall Group NV, had decided not to build a new concert hall.[7]

In 2013, the Sportpaleis Group took over the operation of the hall, while Music Hall Group remained as the owners.[8] The following year, renovations followed, with the seats numbered and new foyers provided. One of these foyers is located in an old backstage room where a 'Wall Of Fame' was created because artists wrote personal messages on the wall. This can be visited by the public. The renovation works were carried out in 2014 by Mathieu Gijbels and ABV + Architecten.[9]

## Events

[edit]

Interior of the arena

Forest National has hosted sports competitions such as the Donnay Indoor Championships tennis tournament from 1981 to 1992 and the Belgian Basketball Cup since the 2014–15 season.[10][11] It was the home arena for Brussels Royal IHSC ice hockey team until 2008.[2] Between 18 and 20 September 2015, in front of a total of 17,000 spectators, a new record attendance record for the Davis Cup tennis event in Belgium was set in the semi-final between Belgium and Argentina (3:2).[12] On 17 March 2025, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) recorded an episode of WWE Raw live for Netflix from the arena.[13]

## Noted performers

[edit]

International artists that performed in Forest National include:[14][1]

* A-ha[15][16][17][18]
* Angèle
* ABBA
* AC/DC
* Aurora
* Avril Lavigne
* Axelle Red
* Björk
* Bob Dylan
* Bob Marley and the Wailers
* Bon Jovi
* Bryan Adams
* Conan Gray
* David Bowie
* Depeche Mode[19]
* Deus
* Diana Ross
* Dire Straits
* Ed Sheeran
* Elisa
* Elton John
* Eric Clapton
* Europe
* Fall Out Boy
* Flume
* Frank Zappa
* Gracie Abrams
* Garou
* George Ezra
* (G)I-DLE
* Gloria Estefan
* Gorillaz
* Green Day
* Hooverphonic
* Hozier
* Indochine
* Iron Maiden
* Janet Jackson
* Jethro Tull
* Johnny Clegg
* Johnny Hallyday
* Kylie Minogue
* Lara Fabian
* Led Zeppelin
* Loïc Nottet
* Lorde
* Lost Frequencies
* Mariah Carey
* Marilyn Manson
* Metallica
* Michel Polnareff
* Michel Sardou
* Mika
* Mike Oldfield
* Neil Young
* New Order
* Niall Horan
* Mylène Farmer
* Oasis
* Olivia Rodrigo
* Olivia Ruiz
* Ozark Henry
* Pascal Obispo
* Pink Floyd
* Phil Collins
* Queen
* Renaud
* Roxette
* Rosalía
* Simple Minds
* Sinead O'Conner
* Slayer
* System of a Down
* The Prodigy
* Tina Turner
* The 1975
* The Rolling Stones
* Taylor Swift
* Tenacious D
* Twenty One Pilots
* U2
* Véronique Sanson
* Whitney Houston

## See also

[edit]

* Belgium portal

* List of indoor arenas in Belgium
* Culture of Belgium

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "In Vorst Nationaal zie je de grootste artiesten live in de gezelligste concertzaal!". www.vorst-nationaal.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 March 2025.
2. ^ a b "La patinoire de Forest-National ferme ses portes". FRBHG. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
3. ^ "FOREST NATIONAL – EAA". Retrieved 20 July 2019.
4. ^ "Béjart - IXe Symphonie Beethoven". www.forest-national.be. 15 November 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
5. ^ "Nieuw Vorst Nationaal verdubbelt capaciteit". bruzz.be. Bruzz. 28 September 2005. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
6. ^ "Nieuwe concertzaal Vorst Nationaal open in 2010". bruzz.be. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
7. ^ "Nieuwe Vorst Nationaal niet naar Bemptwijk". bruzz.be. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
8. ^ Mast, Door: Toon (12 September 2013). "Sportpaleis Groep gaat Vorst Nationaal uitbaten". Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 20 November 2023.
9. ^ "Rénovation Forest National". architectura.be. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
10. ^ "Belgian basketball cup becomes Lotto Basketball Cup for men and women". Lotto Basketball Cup. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
11. ^ "Lotto Basketball Cup 2024". www.forest-national.be. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
12. ^ "Sport.be". www.sport.be. 21 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
13. ^ Konuwa, Alfred (17 March 2025). "WWE Raw Results, Winners And Grades With Heel John Cena". Forbes.com. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
14. ^ "Vorst Nationaal / Forest National Vorst / Forest Concert Setlists". www.setlist.fm/. 27 May 2023.
15. ^ "Hunting High and Low Tour 2019 – 2022 | a-ha live".
16. ^ "World tour 1986 – 1987 | a-ha live".
17. ^ "Analogue Tour 2005 – 2007 | a-ha live".
18. ^ "Ending on a High Note – Farewell Tour 2010 | a-ha live".
19. ^ "Black Celebration Tour". Depeche Mode. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Forest National-Vorst Nationaal at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website (in French, Dutch, and English)

* v
* t
* e

Music venues in Belgium

Brussels|

* Centre for Fine Arts
* Ancienne Belgique
* Le Botanique
* Forest National
* ING Arena
* King Baudouin Stadium
* Cirque Royal

Antwerp|

* Sportpaleis
* Lotto Arena

Ghent|

* Vooruit
* Flanders Expo

Liège|

* La Zone
* Country Hall

Other cities|

* Trixxo Arena (Hasselt)
* De Kreun (Kortrijk)

Music festivals|

Active
Dour Festival (Dour)
Graspop Metal Meeting (Dessel)
Metal Female Voices Fest (Wieze)
Pukkelpop (Kiewit)
Rock Werchter (Werchter)

* v
* t
* e

European Arenas Association members

Current
(by region)|

| Central|

* Accor Arena (Paris)
* Barclays Arena (Hamburg)
* Festhalle Frankfurt
* Forest National (Brussels)
* Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle (Stuttgart)
* Olympiahalle (Munich)
* Paris La Défense Arena
* Porsche-Arena (Stuttgart)
* Rockhal (Luxembourg)
* Rotterdam Ahoy
* Uber Arena (Berlin)
* Wiener Stadthalle (Vienna)

|

East|

* Gliwice Arena
* O2 Arena (Prague)
* Tauron Arena Kraków
* Twinsbet Arena (Vilnius)
* Unibet Arena (Tallinn)
* Xiaomi Arena (Riga)
* Žalgiris Arena (Kaunas)

|

North|

* Malmö Arena
* Nokia Arena (Tampere)
* Scandinavium (Gothenburg)
* Stockholm Live
* 3Arena
* Annexet
* Avicii Arena
* Hovet
* Södra Teatern
* Strawberry Arena
* Unity Arena (Oslo)

|

South|

* Arena Milano (Milan)
* Hallenstadion (Zurich)
* László Papp Budapest Sports Arena (Budapest)
* MEO Arena (Lisbon)
* Movistar Arena (Madrid)
* Navarra Arena (Pamplona)
* Palacio Vistalegre (Madrid)
* Palau Sant Jordi (Barcelona)
* Roig Arena (Valencia)
* St. Jakobshalle (Basel)
* Unipol Forum (Milan)

|

West|

* AO Arena (Manchester)
* bp pulse LIVE (Birmingham)
* Co-op Live (Manchester)
* The O2 Arena (London)
* OVO Hydro (Glasgow)
* SSE Arena (Belfast)
* Wembley Arena (London)

|

Former|

* Arena Zagreb
* Belgrade Arena
* Főnix Aréna (Debrecen)
* Gatorade Center (Turku)
* Helsinki Halli
* ISS Dome (Düsseldorf)
* PalaLottomatica (Rome)
* Utilita Arena Birmingham

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* MusicBrainz place

|

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