The arena, which was originally built for sporting events, was actually inaugurated with a concert by the great American jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong, who attracted more than 6,000 visitors.

The concert was followed by the 1965 World Table Tennis Championships between 15 and 25 April, which was visited by more than 150,000 people, putting the arena on the global map of sporting events.

Designed by architects Marjan Božič and Stanko Bloudek, the complex that features two multi-purpose halls with the total capacity of 10,650, broke ground in November 1963 and was finished in March 1965.

In the coming years, Tivoli hosted a multitude of events, including the World Ice Hockey Championship in 1966, the World Basketball Championships in 1970, and the European basketball Championships in 2013.

The "Mecca of Slovenian sport" will also be remembered by handball players and fans, as the Slovenian national team secured there the silver medal at the 2004 European Handball Championship by defeating Croatia in the semi-finals.

Tivoli was the main sports and concert hall in the capital until August 2010, when the 12,000-seat state-of-the-art Stožice Arena opened in the northern outskirts of the city.