Real Madrid to turn Santiago Bernabeu stadium into money-spinning Winter Wonderland
Real Madrid have hit on a novel way to maintain their status as the world’s richest football club: turning their Santiago Bernabeu stadium into a festive theme park over Christmas.
From 24-31 December, during a two-week break in LaLiga’s schedule, the Spanish giants will transform the 84,000-seater arena into “a family-friendly experience filled with dazzling lights, live music, and spectacular shows”, according to reports in Spain.
The move is seen as a way of generating additional revenue from the stadium – now one of the world’s most sophisticated following a revamp costing more than £1bn completed in 2024 – when the football pauses for Christmas.
It has drawn comparisons with Winter Wonderland, London’s annual yuletide jamboree in Hyde Park, which is operated by global entertainment giant IMG and attracts 2-3m visitors during its run from mid-November until early January.
Real Madrid’s Christmas theme park will benefit from the extensive improvements made to the Santiago Bernabeu in recent years, which include a retractable roof and a branch of Starbucks spanning two floors and more than 900 sqm.
Football clubs are increasingly looking for innovative ways to monetise their stadiums on non-matchdays and many new grounds, including the industry-leading Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, were designed with 365-day usage in mind.
Real Madrid following Spurs and Fulham’s lead
Spurs incorporated a retractable synthetic turf pitch for hosting its annual NFL games, optimised acoustics for staging 30 money-spinning concerts a year from global stars such as Beyonce, and a Formula 1-branded karting track in the bowels of the venue.
Fulham, meanwhile, have turned their Riverside Stand into a year-round hospitality attraction boasting fine dining and even a rooftop swimming pool overlooking the Thames.
Since the 62,000-seater ground opened in 2019, Tottenham’s revenue has increased significantly to pass the £500m mark.
Real Madrid became the first football club to record revenue of more than €1bn following the reopening of their home, cementing their status at the top of Deloitte’s Football Money League.
They are not the only Spanish team looking to sweat their stadium during the Christmas period, with neighbours Atletico Madrid also reported to have plans for their home.
The move is unlikely to catch on in the Premier League, however, where the much-loved busy festive fixture schedule prevents stadiums from being used for anything other than football.