From vision to reality – the PILATUS ARENA marks a new era for sport, events and culture in Central Switzerland

After fifteen years of planning and development and around two years of construction, the PILATUS ARENA is now on the verge of its official opening. What once began as a vision has now become reality: on 25 October, Switzerland’s most modern mid-size arena will be officially inaugurated with a GRAND OPENING show and the first home match of HC Kriens-Luzern.

On 14 October, invited guests from politics, sport and culture celebrated the pre-opening of the new PILATUS ARENA and were given exclusive insights into the venue. The event also marked the arena’s official commissioning. The evening was hosted by presenter Berni Schär. Lucerne Councillor of States Damian Müller praised the project as “a promise to sport, culture, sustainability, community and emotion in Lucerne and throughout Central Switzerland”, before joining Marco Frauenknecht, City Councillor of Kriens and Head of the Department of Education and Culture, for a discussion on the importance of sport for society and politics.

In the foyer of the PILATUS ARENA – the “Hall of Legends” – a number of outstanding Swiss athletes were honoured before two further talks explored the arena’s architecture and future prospects. The Halter Group (70%) and Lucerne-based Caranto AG (30%) are the owners and, together with Pilatus Arena Sports & Events AG (PASE), also the operators of the venue. For Markus Mettler, CEO of the Halter Group and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PASE, the project stands as a prime example of how a vision can be realised through the close collaboration of diverse stakeholders. “The passion, foresight and professionalism of everyone involved made this milestone possible. We are now carrying this same spirit forward into operations.”

As a symbolic act of inauguration, Julia Schwöbel, Andy Schmid, Michaela Tschuor, Donghua Li and Giulia Steingruber jointly pressed the “red button”, which served as a ceremonial ribbon to mark the occasion. From tomorrow, under the leadership of Operations Manager David Unternährer, PASE will commence regular operations at the PILATUS ARENA. Together with his team, he is responsible for marketing and for ensuring the smooth running of all events. In addition, PASE operates the catering facilities in the “Hall of Legends”, which will also be open on non-event days to users from school and club sports as well as to the local community.

As a further area of activity, David Unternährer and his team also provide facility management services for the PILATUS ARENA and, from next year, for the adjoining Pilatus Tower. Their responsibilities will include the operation of guest rooms, co-working and wellness areas, as well as the rooftop terrace reserved for the building’s condominium owners.

THE GRAND OPENING

The Grand Opening will take place on 25 October 2025 in front of a sold-out crowd. Following a spectacular opening show, HC Kriens-Luzern will play its first home match in the new arena against HSC Suhr Aarau at 8:15 p.m. The PILATUS ARENA already boasts a very promising event calendar for the coming months. Upcoming highlights include the first international match of the Swiss national handball team on 1 November against world championship runners-up Croatia – marking Andy Schmid’s debut as national coach – as well as the Mobiliar Men’s Cup Final4 on 27 and 28 December 2025.

With an investment volume of around CHF 55 million, the PILATUS ARENA offers space for 4,500 spectators, state-of-the-art infrastructure and is set to become a new hub for sport, events and culture in Central Switzerland and beyond. It will serve as the future home of HC Kriens-Luzern while also providing a versatile platform for national and international competitions, concerts, corporate events, conferences, and school and university sports.

We look forward to the unique atmosphere that will soon fill this impressive new arena.

 

Medienkontakt

Daniel Frank
Marketing & Kommunikation
Pilatus Arena Sports & Events AG
+41 41 322 05 05
d.frank@hckriens.ch