SM Seaside Cebu Arena is set to open in June 2026

CEBU CITY -- SM Seaside Cebu Arena, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) second mega-arena and the first purpose-built, multipurpose indoor arena in Cebu Province, located at the South Coast City, SM Prime’s integrated estate in Cebu is set to open in June 2026.

“The enduring success of SM MOA Arena shows the strong demand for world-class entertainment venues, so we are bringing the same proven model to Cebu.  We believe Cebu is a key growth center, and this arena will help attract major events, support tourism and create more economic activity for the region,” SM Prime President, Jeffry Lim said.

By building a venue of this scale in Cebu, SM Prime is strengthening the Visayas as a destination for international events, domestic tourism, and long-term investment.  SM Prime is already in talks with concert promoters, sports federations, family entertainment producers, and corporate event organizers ahead of the opening, securing advance bookings since late last year.

A local band is set to be the first performer of the SM Seaside Cebu Arena, with BINI on July 11, IV of Spades on July 18, TJ Monterde and KZ Tandingan on September 5 and LANY on November 6 and 12 already confirmed for this year and with talks ongoing with a global artist for the grand launch, Lim bared.

Located within the SM Seaside Complex, the arena benefits from direct access to retail, hospitality and transport infrastructure, creating a seamless ecosystem for visitors and event organizers.  Its proximity to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and surrounding lifestyle developments strengthens its appeal as a regional destination for international acts and large gatherings.

A glimpse of the SM Seaside Cebu Arena

The project is being developed directly under SM Prime Holdings Inc. as part of their South Coast City estate.  This is SM Prime’s bet that demand for world-class venues extends beyond Manila. It’s designed to be flexible for everything from Lady Gaga-scale concerts to basketball games and corporate events.

With seven storeys and a capacity of up to 25,000 people, with 16,000 fixed seats, making the SM Seaside Cebu Arena larger than the Mall of Asia Arena, which seats 20,000.  This will be one of the largest indoor arenas in the Philippines. Its flexible event bowl allows seamless configuration for both large-scale concerts and more intimate events, giving promoters greater versatility in staging productions.

The SM Seaside Cebu Arena features one of the most advanced center-hung displays in the country, supported by immersive LED ribbon boards that deliver a 360-degree viewing experience. These are complemented by high-capacity digital infrastructure, including 5G connectivity, high-capacity digital infrastructure for real-time engagement.

It has multi-level spectator areas, professional-grade sports and entertainment systems, Corporate suites, VIP lounges, food and beverage concepts, practice court, breakout rooms and Skybridge connecting directly to SMX Convention Center Cebu and SM Seaside City Cebu for seamless visitor flow.

Why SM Prime built it? The goal is to make Cebu a hub for international events so people don’t have to fly to Manila for concerts and sports. SM Prime says Cebu’s accessibility to Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Japan, etc. makes it viable for regional and international shows. (Photos: SM Seaside Arena FB/Google Images)