The Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, Philippines, which is the world's largest indoor arena, is primarily used for large-scale concerts, sports events, and religious gatherings with a seating capacity of 55,000. The arena is owned by the religious organization Iglesia ni Cristo.[1]
See main article: Iglesia ni Cristo Centennial. The events that took place on the Philippine Arena are a series of activities by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) as part of their centennial celebration.[2]
| Date(s) | Event(s) | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Worship Service and Oratorio | A worship service led by INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, along with a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. | ||
| Ang Bayan Mo'y Nagpupuri (Your Nation Praises You) | A musical presentation featuring original INC Christian music and the history of the Iglesia ni Cristo. | ||
| Ang Sugo (The Messenger) | A stage play depicting the ministry of Felix Manalo and the history of the Iglesia ni Cristo. | ||
| Tagisan ng Talino (Battle of Wits) | A quiz show which includes Bible and INC history and current events for teens and children categories. | ||
| Evangelical Mission | A Bible exposition for the non-members. | ||
| INCinema Excellence in Visual Media Awards (EVM Awards) | Recognition of the top 20 film entries produced by members worldwide. | ||
| Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko (My Countrymen, My Brethren) | An outreach and evangelical mission which provide medical and dental services, groceries, entertainment shows, and bible studies. | ||
| Songs of Faith, Love and Hope: International Singing Competition | Solo singing competition featuring original INC Christian music participated by delegates from different parts of the world. | ||
| Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko: Year-End Concert | A pre-new-year concert featuring the accomplishments of the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation and the Iglesia ni Cristo as a whole. | ||
| Nueva Ecija Ecclesiastical District 85th Anniversary | The INC ecclesiastical districts of Nueva Ecija Central, East, North, South, and Aurora, which were formerly part of the once lone ecclesiastical district in the province, gathered for a worship service led by Manalo. | ||
| New Era University (NEU) 40th Commencement Exercises | Baccalaureate service led by Eduardo V. Manalo, NEU graduation from elementary to post-graduate studies across all campuses, and alumni homecoming. | ||
| International Unity Games | Members of the Iglesia ni Cristo from all over the globe gathered for the first-ever Unity Games International. Said sporting event marked the end of the centennial year. | ||
| Centennial Closing Ceremony | A worship service led by INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, along with a large musical celebration of all INC members from all over the globe. |
| Date(s) | Event(s) | Attendance | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 PBA Philippine Cup opening ceremonies | 52,612 | The first commercial and non-INC event held in the Philippine Arena, it was the largest attendance record for an opening ceremony in PBA history.[3] | ||
| 2016–17 PBA Philippine Cup Eliminations | 25,000[4] | This was the second time that the PBA games was held in the Philippine Arena.[5] | ||
| 2017 PBA Governors' Cup Finals (Game 5) | 36,445 | First PBA Finals held in the arena. | ||
| 2017 PBA Governors' Cup Finals (Game 6) | 53,642 | |||
| 2017 PBA Governors' Cup Finals (Game 7) | 54,086 | |||
| 2017–18 PBA Philippine Cup Eliminations | 22,531 | |||
| Galaxy Battles Dota 2 e-Sport Tournaments | ||||
| 2017–18 PBA Philippine Cup Eliminations | ||||
| 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup | ||||
| 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification | 22,181[6] | See also: Philippines-Australia basketball brawl | ||
| 2019 PBA Philippine Cup Opening Ceremonies | 23,711 | |||
| 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony | ||||
| 2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals (Game 7) | 54,589 | The largest attendance record for a PBA game and for a PBA Finals game | ||
| 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification | The first FIBA-sanctioned game since the Philippines-Australia basketball brawl. | |||
| 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup opening ceremonies | 38,115 | The largest attendance record for a FIBA Basketball World Cup game.[7] |
Notable entertainment events in the Philippine Arena include several concerts.
| Date(s) | Entertainer(s) | Event | Attendance | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Junior, Girls' Generation, BtoB, Red Velvet | Best of Best in the Philippines | 20,000 | The four South Korean K-pop idol groups were the first international artists to perform in the Philippine Arena. | |||
| Prismatic World Tour | 34,683 | The first anniversary of the Prismatic World Tour, Katy Perry was the first solo performer to hold a show in the Philippine Arena. | ||||
| Alliance In Motion Global | Alliance In Motion Global 9th Anniversary | 30,050 | AIM Global broke the record with 30,050 verified participants wearing smiley face masks during their ninth anniversary celebration at the Philippine Arena. A Guinness World Records representative announced the success of the record-breaking attempts during the company's anniversary held at the Philippine Arena on May 31, 2015. | |||
| Felix Manalo film premiere | 43,624 | The film holds the Guinness World Record for "Largest Attendance For A Film Screening" and "Largest Attendance For A Film Premiere".[8] [9] | ||||
| AlDub (Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza), EB Dabarkads (Eat Bulaga! hosts) | Eat Bulaga! | 55,000 | Philippine Arena was the venue for the highly-successful special episode of Kalyeserye segment from the variety show Eat Bulaga! It was the first time an event at the arena was broadcast by GMA Network.[10] [11] | |||
| Guns N' Roses | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 24,638 | Guns N' Roses were the first rock musicians to perform in the Philippine Arena. | |||
| U2 | The Joshua Tree Tour 2019 | 33,721[12] | Irish rock band U2's first time to perform in the Philippines.[13] | |||
| December Avenue, Ben&Ben, Arnel Pineda | Cloudstaff Roar Year-end Party | 9,113 | Philippine-Australian outsourcing provider Cloudstaff held the first-ever corporate concert at the Philippine Arena, inviting employees and their families to the event that served as their corporate year-end party. | |||
| Stell of SB19, Zephanie, Janella Salvador | Disney+ A Night of Wonder | A performance by the three singers was recorded at the Philippine Arena to celebrate the launch of American streaming service Disney+ in the Philippines. | ||||
| Seventeen | Seventeen World Tour: Be The Sun[14] | 39,480 | Seventeen were the first South Korean boy band to stage a concert in the Philippine Arena during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the group's third performance in the country, as part of their Be the Sun tour.[15] | |||
| Love On Tour[16] [17] | 29,000 | The British singer held his first concert in the country in five years.[18] [19] [20] [21] | ||||
| Blackpink | Born Pink World Tour[22] [23] | 92,720 (both days) | Blackpink were the first South Korean girl group to stage and sell out a multi-night event at the Philippine Arena.[24] | |||
| Bruno Mars | 76,252 (both days) | Bruno Mars was the first solo performer to sell out two shows at the Philippine Arena.[25] | ||||
| Tomorrow X Together | Act: Sweet Mirage[26] | 10,886 | ||||
| , Bernard Bernardo, Ben&Ben, The Dawn, Alamat | 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup opening ceremony | 38,115 | [27] | |||
| Twice | Ready to Be World Tour[28] | 86,930 (both days) | ||||
| Various Asian personalities | Asia Artist Awards 2023[29] | |||||
| Coldplay | Music of the Spheres World Tour | 96,079 (both days) | The British rock band's second concert in the Philippines.[30] Jikamarie was the opening act on both dates while Lola Amour and Dilaw were surprise guests on January 19 and 20, respectively.[31] [32] Coldplay were the first Western group to perform two sold-out shows at the Philippine Arena on a single tour, thereby setting the record for the highest attendance ever by any musical act at the arena.[33] [34] | |||
| IU | IU H.E.R.E.H. World Tour | 37,000[35] | IU was the first South Korean solo performer to stage a concert at the Philippine Arena.[36] | |||
| LANY | a beautiful blur: the world tour | [37] | ||||
| Radical Optimism Tour | [38] | |||||
| Stray Kids | Dominate World Tour | [39] |
Ahead of the 2022 elections, the UniTeam Alliance of then-presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos and then-vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte held their proclamation rally at the Philippine Arena. Hosted by Toni Gonzaga, the arena operated at half of its capacity at that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[40] [41]
| Date(s) | Event(s) | Organizers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer Blast x CFO Day | Iglesia ni Cristo, Maligaya Development Corporation, Net 25 | 120,000 (May 13, 2023) | |
| New Year Countdown |