SM Seaside Cebu Arena

SM Seaside Cebu Arena
SM Seaside Cebu Arena in June 2026
Interactive map of SM Seaside Cebu Arena
AddressSouth Coast City, South Road Properties
Cebu City
Philippines
LocationCebu City, Philippines
Coordinates10°17′02″N 123°52′58″E / 10.2840°N 123.8827°E / 10.2840; 123.8827
OwnerSM Prime Holdings
OperatorSM Prime Holdings
Capacity16,000 (seating)
25,000 (full capacity)
Executive suites
30
TypeIndoor arena
Construction
Groundbreaking2021
OpenedJuly 11, 2026; 3 months ago (July 11, 2026)
Cost₱7 billion
ArchitectArquitectonica
Tenants
Abra Weavers (EASL) (2026–present)
PVL (2026–present)
Website
www.sm-arena.com/CEBU

SM Seaside Cebu Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in South Road Properties, Cebu City, Philippines. The arena, located adjacent to the SM Seaside City complex, has a seating capacity of 16,000, and a full capacity of 25,000, making it the largest indoor arena in the Visayas.

History

Conception and initial cancellation

First proposed in 2013, SM Seaside Cebu Arena (then known as the "SM Seaside Arena") is planned to be a venue for local and international concerts, sports events, international conventions, and as the venue of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) and some select Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) games. The arena was also one of the proposed venues for the unsuccessful Philippine bid for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

In January 2017, reports emerged that developer SM Prime Holdings had canceled its plans to build the arena. This occurred amidst an unfavorable political climate when Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña threatened to revoke several sale lots in the South Road Properties (SRP).

Revival and construction

Construction of the arena; August 2024

The project was revived in late 2019 during the administration of Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, with the arena, instead of being within the SM Seaside complex, now placed within South Coast City, an adjacent mixed-use development co-owned by SM Prime with Ayala Land.

The SM Seaside Cebu Arena officially broke ground in 2021. It was originally set to open in June 2026. The arena officially opened on July 11, 2026, with the Cebu stop of Bini's Signals World Tour 2026 being the venue's first ever event.

Events

Entertainment

Filipino girl group BINI were the first performers at the arena on July 11, 2026, for the second leg of their Signals World Tour, and the arena's first event. Rock band IV of Spades also performed at the arena on July 18 as part of their 'Andalucia' Tour, as well as KZ Tandingan and TJ Monterde on September 5, and Yeng Constantino on September 20 as part of her 'Biyaheng Bente' 20th Anniversary concert tour. Folk-pop band Ben&Ben will be performing at the arena for the second run of their Saranggola: The Concert on April 10, 2027.

Australian contemporary worship music band Hillsong Worship were the venue's first[failed verification] international performers as part of their Asia Tour on September 18, 2026. American pop rock band LANY will perform at the arena as part of their Soft World Tour on November 6 and 12, 2026, while girl group Katseye will perform at the venue on February 7, 2027, as part of the Wildworld Tour.

A Disney on Ice event is also scheduled to be held at the arena.

Sports

The East Asia Super League's 'EASL Tip-Off', which served as the opening of its 2026–27 season, was the first professional sports event at the SM Seaside Cebu Arena, featuring Macau Hou Chon which played the Taipei Fubon Braves, and the Abra Weavers hosting Hong Kong Eastern.

The arena will host the 2027 FIBA Women's Asia Cup and the 2027 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League. It was originally set to host the second week of the 2026 VNL tournament, but was moved to the Philsports Arena in Pasig owing to the arena not being completed in time. It is currently being eyed as a venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Asian Beach Games. The Philippines men's national basketball team will also play in the arena for the sixth and final window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers in late February and early March 2027.

In addition, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) have also expressed interest in holding games in the arena.

Facilities

SM Seaside Cebu Arena was built at the cost of ₱7 billion and was designed by Arquitectonica. It is bigger than 15,000-seater SM Mall of Asia Arena with a seating capacity of 16,000 and a full house capacity of 25,000This makes it among the largest indoor arenas in the Philippines. It was built on a 19,000-square-meter (200,000 sq ft) lot with about 70,000 square meters (750,000 sq ft) of gross floor area. It is also linked to the SMX Convention Center Cebu and the SM Seaside City shopping mall via a skybridge.

Attendance records

Type Event Attendance Date Ref.
Volleyball 2026–27 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference: Creamline Cool Smashers vs. Akari Chargers 19,106 October 10, 2026

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rosales, Clara (July 10, 2026). "LOOK: Inside the Newly-Opened SM Seaside Cebu Arena". Spot.ph. Retrieved July 15, 2026. A total of 30 luxury Premier Suites are situated right above the VIP sections, with each suite equipped to accommodate anywhere from 13 up to 31 guests
  2. ↑ Badua, Snow (October 22, 2013). "Slightly smaller version of MOA Arena set to rise in Cebu, says official". Spin.ph. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ Mancelita, Ram (October 18, 2019). "Soon to rise: Seaside Arena in SRP, Cebu City". Sugbo.ph. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "dotPH domains available portal". rivals.ph. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  5. ↑ Henson, Joaquin M. "Expansion for PBA?". Philstar.com. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ Nalzaro, Bobby (January 23, 2017). "Nalzaro: SM to cancel multi-billion projects". Sun.Star Cebu. Sun.Star Cebu. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Limpag, Mike T. (January 25, 2017). "Limpag: Fans dream of arena foiled by politics". Sun.Star. Sun.Star. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Aguja, Januar Junior (February 15, 2026). "What concertgoers need to know about Cebu's new arena". The Freeman. The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ Lorenciana, Carlo (December 9, 2019). "26-hectare ALI-SM project at SRP to start construction in Q1 2020". SunStar. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Sino Cruz, Irene R. (November 12, 2019). "SM-Ayala consortium bares details of multi-billion SRP development". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  11. ↑ Cabuenas, Jon Viktor (February 24, 2026). "SM Prime to open Cebu Arena in June 2026". GMA News Online. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Loyola, James (July 9, 2026). "SM Prime gives trade partners a sneak peek into ₱7-billion Cebu arena". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ Aguja, Januar Junior (July 18, 2026). "Cebu is ready for bigger concerts". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  14. ↑ Povadora, Neil (March 21, 2026). "BINI's anniversary tour coming to Cebu in July". CDN Life. Cebu Daily News. Retrieved March 21, 2026.
  15. ↑ Deveza, Reyma (July 8, 2026). "Yeng Constantino to stage 'Biyaheng Bente' concert in Cebu". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ Calinao, Allyanah Marielle T. (October 4, 2026). "9 reasons Saranggola perfectly celebrated Ben&Ben's nine years". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved November 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Hillsong Worship Nights • Asia Tour". Hillsong Worship. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ Almazan, Faye (March 18, 2026). "LANY is coming back to PH for 'Soft World Tour' this November". GMA Lifestyle. GMA. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  19. ↑ Iglesias, Iza (October 29, 2026). "Katseye brings 'The Wildworld Tour' to Manila, Cebu". The Manila Times. Retrieved October 29, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Rosal, Glendale (July 9, 2026). "Gilas Pilipinas Cebu hosting bid delayed due to booking scheduling woes". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  21. ↑ Wang, Shane (September 1, 2026). "EASL Announces 2026-27 Season Tip-Off Games in Cebu, Philippines". EASL.basketball. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ Li, Matthew (July 8, 2026). "SM Seaside Arena unveiled as host venue for FIBA Women's Asia Cup 2027". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  23. ↑ Agcaoili, Lance (June 11, 2026). "PH all set for VNL Women's Week 2 hosting". Inquirer Sport. INQUIRER.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  24. ↑ Rosal, Glendale (May 21, 2026). "2028 Asian Beach Games: Archival, stakeholders tackle Cebu preparations". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  25. ↑ Rosal, Glendale G. (September 29, 2026). "Gilas Pilipinas to make historic Cebu debut at SM Seaside Arena". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
  26. ↑ Terrado, Reuben (July 7, 2026). "SOURCES SAY: PBA, EASL making Cebu plans as SM Seaside Arena opens". Spin.ph. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  27. ↑ Rosal, Glendale G. (July 10, 2026). "Cesafi staging SM Seaside Arena games if sponsors come on board". Cebu Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2026.
  28. 1 2 Fuentes, Arthur (February 24, 2026). "SM Seaside Cebu Arena to open in June, will be bigger than MOA Arena – SM Prime". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
  29. ↑ "PBA eyes Governors' Cup finals at SM Arena Cebu". Philippine News Agency. July 28, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  30. ↑ Pascual, Pauline Joyce (July 18, 2026). "Concert era moves South: 5 things to know about SM Seaside Cebu Arena". Daily Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
  31. ↑ "SM invests P8B to make Cebu a global events hub". The Philippine Star. July 13, 2026. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  32. ↑ Agcaoili, Lance (October 10, 2026). "PVL: Record Cebu crowd overwhelms Creamline's Alyssa Valdez". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 11, 2026.