Glasgow's SSE Hydro is 'world's second busiest venue'

The SSE Hydro opened in September 2013

The Hydro venue in Glasgow has been ranked as the world's second-busiest live entertainment arena.

The 13,000-capacity building was beaten to the top spot by London's O2 arena in the list compiled by Pollstar, a trade publication for venues and tours.

With more than 1,000,000 visitors last year, The Hydro ranked higher than Madison Square Garden in New York.

Since opening in September 2013, it has hosted concerts by Rod Stewart, Prince, Katy Perry and the MTV Europe Awards.

The stage version of the television comedy Still Game played for 21 performances at the venue during a three-week run last year.

'Absolutely outstanding'

It also staged the gymnastics and netball competitions during the Commonwealth Games last summer and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony in December.

The Hydro was previously third and fourth in Pollstar's quarterly calculations during 2014 but the latest poll covers attendance for the whole year.

Peter Duthie, chief executive of the SSE Hydro and SECC, said: "To be positioned as the second-busiest arena globally just 15 months after opening is absolutely outstanding.

"We wouldn't have received this accolade without the support of the artists, their promoters, our staff and of course the 1,045,344 fans that visited us last year.

"Looking ahead we won't be slowing down, with over 90 performances already confirmed for 2015. The SSE Hydro is truly a world-class events venue with a world-class reputation."

Performers set to appear at the venue this year include One Direction, Taylor Swift, Sir Elton John and Take That.