Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium is a large multiuse stadium in the Olympic Green area of Beijing, completed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is widely known by its nickname the “Bird’s Nest.”

The complex includes an inner spectator bowl that held about 91,000 people for the 2008 opening ceremony and a wide external plaza framed by the interlocking steel lattice. The steel shell creates prominent viewing lines and walkways around the stadium, and the site is part of the larger Olympic Park with pedestrian connections to the National Aquatics Center and surrounding green space. The stadium now hosts sporting events, concerts and occasional national ceremonies.

Design work was led by the Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei as artistic consultant; construction ran from 2003 to 2008. It was commissioned as the primary stadium for the 2008 Games and has been adapted since for a range of public uses.

The stadium sits in Chaoyang District’s Olympic Green, northeast of central Beijing and adjacent to major parkland and other Olympic venues. It is accessible by Beijing Metro and roads serving the Olympic complex.

• Photography: Best photographed at night when the outer lattice is illuminated; good vantage points include the nearby Olympic Park and the Riverbank promenade to the south.
• Use: Opened for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics and remains a multipurpose venue used for sports, concerts and public events.

What to See #

• Main stadium bowl: Houses the main spectator bowl that held about 91,000 people for the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony; the bowl is the venue for athletics, concerts and occasional sporting events.
• Steel lattice exterior and public plaza: A latticed steel exterior formed from interlocking beams provides the stadium's distinctive 'bird's nest' appearance and encloses walkways and public plazas around the bowl.