The Croix-Noire arena
Cow fights and rock concerts on the edge of Aosta
The Croix-Noire arena stands on the boundary between the town of Aosta and the municipality of Saint-Christophe. It opened in 1987. People come here for two very different reasons: cow fights and concerts.
The final of the Batailles de reines
Every year the final round of the Batailles de reines is held here. The “reines” (queens) are cows of the Aosta Valley breed. The best of the season fight for the title in front of thousands of spectators.
Bob Dylan, Vasco Rossi, Zucchero
The arena is also an open-air concert venue. Bob Dylan was the first to play here, in 1992. The Italian singer Vasco Rossi launched his tour here in 1996. Then came a long break. Concerts resumed in 2011 with Zucchero. In 2012 Lenny Kravitz and J-Ax came for the Aoste Sound Fest.
Size
The arena is an ellipse measuring 105 by 70 metres. It has 4,000 seats. Including the central field, and depending on how the space is laid out, it can hold up to 8,000 spectators.
Two uses for one place
The same people do not necessarily come to both kinds of event. Breeders and enthusiasts of the “reines” find a rural tradition here. Others come for the music. The arena thus serves both the valley’s farming life and large-scale shows.
