What is the 3Arena?
The 3Arena is a music and entertainment venue located in the North Wall area on the east side of Dublin’s city centre.
It’s part of what’s now known as ‘The Point Village’, a city quarter which offers various wining, dining and entertainment options, including a large cinema and other restaurants.
The 3Arena is undoubtedly the focal point of the area.
The venue has a capacity of up to 13,000 when fully standing and 9,000 when fully seated. It was designed to achieve high-end sound and spectator satisfaction. It is certainly the stand-out entertainment venue in the Republic of Ireland.
Formerly Known as “Point Theatre”
If you hop into a taxi in Dublin and ask to be brought to this venue, the driver will most likely reply something to the effect of “oh, you mean The Point”. If this happens, don’t worry the driver knows exactly where to go.
This is because the 3Arena was formerly known as “The Point Depot” – a train depot used to transport goods from Dublin port up until the 1980s. By the end of the ’80s, it had become disused and was then redeveloped as a music venue, which opened in 1988. Officially known as “Point Theatre” in the eighties and nineties, it hosted the biggest rock and pop acts of that era, such as U2, Nirvana, Oasis, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen and The Spice Girls, to name just a few.
In 1994, 95 and 97 the Eurovision song contest was held at The Point and it was also the venue for the 1999 MTV European Music Awards.
The Point is where one of the most iconic moments in Irish cultural history happened. During the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest at the venue, the world famous ‘Riverdance’ show was first presented to the world.
In December 2008 – after being closed for some time due to redevelopment – the venue reopened as a state-of-the-art indoor amphitheatre, which was rebranded as ‘The O2’ in partnership with a major telecommunications company. O2 was later bought-out and rebranded as Three in 2015, hence its current name; ‘The 3Arena’.
What’s On At The 3Arena These Days?
The 3 Arena regularly hosts sporting events such as boxing bouts, Premier League Darts as well as international events like The UFC and WWE. The venue is also a popular stop-off for many UK and US stand-up comedians as part of their European tours. However, many comedians, particularly Irish performers, prefer to do long runs at the well-regarded comedy hub; Vicar Street, which is a more intimate space.
The 3Arena is primarily known as a music venue and stages the whos-who of music acts on a regular basis, spanning all genres of music including rock, pop, country, classical and electronic.
If you want to take in a great concert or event during your trip to Dublin, you’ll find all upcoming shows for the 3Arena on their website.
How Far is 3Arena From Dublin City Centre?
If you’re in the city centre before heading to a show, you’re never too far away from the 3Arena. It’s just out on the edge of the city and pretty easy to access from most places in town.
From O’Connell Bridge (roughly the centre point of the city) you can follow the river Liffey all the way down the quays and you’ll come to the 3Arena just off its banks. It’s 2.3KM (1.4 miles) from that point, so it will take approximately 25-30 minutes to walk this distance A taxi from the general city centre area (O’Connell St., Temple Bar, Grafton Street) should take no more than 10-15 minutes.
You can also access the 3Arena when in the city, by using the Red Luas line (Dublin’s tram network) from any of its’ central stops (i.e. Jervis St., Abbey St., Bus Áras) and the journey will take 10-15 minutes at most. There is always a Luas service after shows at the 3Arena (the Red line was extended in 2009 in part for the purpose of accommodating the revamped venue and its patrons), After a late evening event there, we recommend that you head straight to the nearby Luas stop without delay, as they don’t wait very long after events as it’s the last scheduled service.
