The Gabba Entertainment Precinct will deliver a 17,000-seat arena and a mixed-use entertainment and housing precinct across two sites, with a combined area of nine hectares, located next to and including the current Gabba Stadium site.
The full scope of works for the project is to be delivered across two sites:
Gabba West – Entertainment Precinct
Gabba West is currently used to support the construction of the underground Cross River Rail project. The initial minimum requirements for the delivery of the arena include:
- an indoor entertainment venue with a seating capacity of 17,000
- area of approximately 3.5 hectares
- the venue is operational before 2032, and
- can host basketball and netball, as well as music, corporate and entertainment events.
The new arena is intended to replace the Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall, which is expected to reach the end of its usable life in the next 10 years.
Gabba East – Mixed Use Development
Gabba East is currently the site of Gabba Stadium, however, with the development of the new Brisbane Stadium in Victoria Park, the Government intends to decommission the Gabba Stadium after 2032. The precinct will include:
- additional housing in accordance with the Woolloongabba PDA Development Scheme
- area of approximately 5.75 hectares
- a council park and open spaces, and
- complementary commercial and retail uses.
Key Dates
| Oct 2025 | EOIs Open |
| Jan 2026 | EOIs Close |
| 2026 | RFP Open |
| Sep 2026 | RFP Open |
| 2027 | Expected Contract Award |
| 2027 | Expected Construction Commencement |
| 2031 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| Federal Government |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning |
| Shortlist: | Brisbane Entertainment Alliance Consortium, comprising Capella Capital, Lendlease, AEG and Legends Global; and the Gather Brisbane Consortium, comprising Plenary Group, Live Nation and OVG. |
| Procurement note: | The project is being delivered as a Public-Private Partnership project with the successful proponent required to finance, design, construct, maintain and operate the Arena and finance, master-plan and develop the mixed-use precinct. |
PROJECT HISTORY
| May 2018 | The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority commenced the development of the Business Case in conjunction with Building Queensland and AEG Ogden through an Operator Early Engagement agreement. |
| Jun 2018 | In its 2018-19 Budget, the Queensland Government provided $5 million toward developing a business case for the project. |
| Jul 2019 | The Queensland Government declared a new Priority Development Area (PDA) around the Roma Street Cross River Rail station, encompassing the Brisbane Live precinct. The 32-hectare PDA will fast-track the development and delivery of the new underground Cross River Rail (CRR) station while also creating a specialised development scheme for the entire precinct. |
| Dec 2019 | The Queensland Government announced a market sounding exercise for the delivery of Brisbane Live. |
| Dec 2019 | Demolition of the Brisbane Transit Centre commenced, to make way for the construction of the Roma Street Interchange and the Brisbane Live precinct. |
| Feb 2023 | The Federal Government announced $2.5 billion funding for the project. This commitment is part of the Federal and Queensland Governments funding agreement for the development of 18 new or upgraded venues for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games. |
| Mar 2024 | The Queensland Government has accepted the recommendation from the Sports Venue Review to move the site of Brisbane Arena to a new location within Roma St Parklands. The new site will not be built over the Roma Street Station currently being delivered under the Cross River Rail project. |
| May 2024 | The 2024-25 Federal Budget reaffirmed the Government's commitment to providing $2.5 billion towards the Brisbane Arena to support the delivery of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. |
| Mar 2025 | The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority's 100 Day Review recommended the new Woolloongabba Train Station site as the preferred location for a new arena. The Government accepted the recommendation and announced that the project would not be required for the 2032 Games. |
| Mar 2025 | The 2025-26 Federal Budget reaffirmed the Government's commitment to providing $2.5 billion towards the Brisbane Arena to support the delivery of the Brisbane 2032 Games. |
| Jul 2025 | The Federal and Queensland Governments announced an updated intergovernmental funding agreement for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, further confirming that the arena was not required as part of the 2032 Games venue program. It is unclear how the project's funding will continue to be structured. |
| Oct 2025 | Expressions of Interest to deliver the project opened. |
| Mar 2026 | The Queensland Government shortlisted two consortia to deliver the Gabba Entertainment Precinct. The two consortia include the Brisbane Entertainment Alliance Consortium, comprising Capella Capital, Lendlease, AEG and Legends Global; and the Gather Brisbane Consortium, comprising Plenary Group, Live Nation and OVG. |
2032 Delivery Plan
100 Day Review
100 Day review - Government Response
