DENMARK

Government issues £ 225 free culture pass

The Danish government is to provide a ‘ culture passport ’ ( Kulturpasset ) to 43,000 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 who are not in work or studying . The digital payment cards will be loaded with DK 2,000 (£ 223 ) that can be used for tickets for concerts , or other events such as sport , theatre and museum visits . The passes will be valid from the summer of 2025 until the end of 2026 . “ In many ways we are starting a beautiful experiment that we have not tried before . We want to give these young people a way back to our community ,” said culture minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt .

GERMANY

CTS Eventim reports record € 2bn revenue

German live entertainment giant CTS Eventim reported revenue of more than € 2 billion for the first three quarters of 2024 , a nine-month revenue record for the company . The group reported revenues of € 2.027bn (£ 1.69bn ) for the period , a year-on-year uplift of 15.8 %, and adjusted EBITDA of € 322.7m (£ 268.7m ) up 12.1 %. Recent acquisitions played a role in the increased revenue . In June , CTS Eventim acquired French media group Vivendi ’ s ticketing business See Tickets , along with its festival division in a deal valued at € 300m (£ 255m ). The third quarter was the first time See Tickets was fully consolidated in CTS ’ s quarterly figures .

PORTUGAL

Live Nation acquires MEO Arena .

Live Nation has acquired a controlling stake in one of Europe ’ s largest arena venues – Lisbon ’ s 20,000-capacity MEO Arena . Since its doors were first opened in 1998 for the ‘ Expo 98 ’ World Trade Fair , the venue has hosted numerous A-list acts including Harry Styles , Dua Lipa , Adele and Travis Scott . Renovations are planned , including upgraded premium seating , skyboxes , dressing rooms and concessions . “ With this investment , we ’ re committed to bringing more shows to Portugal , supporting the local economy and creating incredible experiences for fans ,” said Live Nation EMEA president John Reid . The existing operations team at MEO Arena will remain under the current leadership .