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Chamber and committees

10 Years of the OVO Hydro

  • Submitted by: Kaukab Stewart, Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party.
  • Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2023
  • Motion reference: S6M-10596

That the Parliament notes that it has been 10 years since the OVO Hydro arena opened in Finnieston, Glasgow, on 30 September 2013; understands that the venue, which was initially sponsored by Scottish Hydro Electric and named the SSE Hydro until October 2021, is a Scottish Event Campus (SEC) venue, alongside the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo; notes that the first concert that the Hydro hosted was Rod Stewart and that, since then, the venue has hosted performances by a large number of big names, including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Prince, Belle and Sebastian, Taylor Swift, Adele, Lana Del Rey and Lewis Capaldi; recognises the role that the venue played in Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games and then the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships; commends those involved in turning the then SSE Hydro into a mass vaccination centre during the COVID-19 pandemic; recognises the role that the OVO Hydro played in hosting the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), accommodating visits from heads of state, government officials, climate experts and campaigners; regrets that, despite playing the part of host venue for the Eurovision Song Contest in the fictional comedy film, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, the OVO Hydro narrowly missed out on hosting Eurovision 2023, and believes that the OVO Hydro, which, it understands, was recently named number one on the Billboard Chart of top grossing venues of its size, continues to play a major role in Glasgow and Scotland’s cultural offering as one of the top five busiest arenas in the world.


Supported by: Fulton MacGregor, Roz McCall, Mark Ruskell, Paul Sweeney, Evelyn Tweed