From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Forest National

Multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium

Summary

Multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium

Field	Value
name	Forest National / Vorst Nationaal
native_name
logo_image	Vorst Nationaal logo 2022.svg
image	ForetNational3558.jpg
image_size	250px
caption	Exterior view of venue
address	Avenue Victor Rousseau / Victor Rousseaulaan 208
location	1190 Forest, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
coordinates
opened
renovated	1995, 2014
owner	Music Hall Group
operator	be•at
capacity	8,400
tenants	Brussels Royal IHSC (1983–2008)
website

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). Known for its circular interior, it is owned by the Music Hall Group and operated by be•at (formerly Sportpaleis Group).

History

Forest National opened on 8 October 1970 with a performance by Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century. 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.

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) and should have been opened in September 2010. However, on 3 September 2008, it was announced that the owner, Music Hall Group NV, had decided not to build a new concert hall.

In 2013, the Sportpaleis Group took over the operation of the hall, while Music Hall Group remained as the owners. 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.

Events

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. It was the home arena for Brussels Royal IHSC ice hockey team until 2008. 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). On 17 March 2025, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) recorded an episode of WWE Raw live for Netflix from the arena.

Noted performers

International artists that performed in Forest National include:

A-ha
ABBA
AC/DC
Angèle
Aurora
Avril Lavigne
Axelle Red
Björk
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Bon Jovi
Bryan Adams
Conan Gray
David Bowie
Depeche Mode
Deus
Diana Ross
Dire Straits
Ed Sheeran
Elisa
Elton John
Eric Clapton
Europe
Fall Out Boy
Flume
Frank Zappa
Garou
George Ezra
(G)I-DLE
Gloria Estefan
Gorillaz
Gracie Abrams
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
Mylène Farmer
Neil Young
New Order
Niall Horan
Oasis
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Ruiz
Ozark Henry
Pascal Obispo
Phil Collins
Pink Floyd
Queen
Renaud
Rosalía
Roxette
Simple Minds
Sinead O'Conner
Slayer
System of a Down
Taylor Swift
Tenacious D
The Prodigy
The 1975
The Rolling Stones
Tina Turner
Twenty One Pilots
U2
Véronique Sanson
Whitney Houston

References

(2 January 2008). "La patinoire de Forest-National ferme ses portes".
"FOREST NATIONAL – EAA".
(15 November 2016). "Béjart - IXe Symphonie Beethoven".
"In Vorst Nationaal zie je de grootste artiesten live in de gezelligste concertzaal!".
(28 September 2005). "Nieuw Vorst Nationaal verdubbelt capaciteit". [[Bruzz]].
(1 March 2007). "Nieuwe concertzaal Vorst Nationaal open in 2010".
(3 September 2008). "Nieuwe Vorst Nationaal niet naar Bemptwijk".
Mast, Door: Toon. (2013-09-12). "Sportpaleis Groep gaat Vorst Nationaal uitbaten". [[Het Laatste Nieuws]].
"Rénovation Forest National".
"Belgian basketball cup becomes Lotto Basketball Cup for men and women".
"Lotto Basketball Cup 2024".
(21 September 2015). "Sport.be".
Konuwa, Alfred. (17 March 2025). "WWE Raw Results, Winners And Grades With Heel John Cena". [[Forbes.com]].
(27 May 2023). "Vorst Nationaal / Forest National Vorst / Forest Concert Setlists".
"Hunting High and Low Tour 2019 – 2022 | a-ha live".
"World tour 1986 – 1987 | a-ha live".
"Analogue Tour 2005 – 2007 | a-ha live".
"Ending on a High Note – Farewell Tour 2010 | a-ha live".
. ["Black Celebration Tour"](https://archives.depechemode.com/past_tours/blackcelebrationtour/dates.html). *Depeche Mode*.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

concert-halls-in-brussels culture-in-brussels forest,-belgium indoor-arenas-in-belgium sports-venues-in-brussels wrestling-venues

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Forest National — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report