Manchester AO Arena

Manchester Arena

Situated west of Manchester city centre, this indoor arena has the highest seating capacity of any venue in the UK at 21,000 and holds a whole host of music and sporting events. The arena was initially constructed as part of the 2000 Summer Olympics bid and now attracts over a million visitors a year. In the 20 years it has been open, the venue has hosted some of biggest names in music, from Madonna to the Rolling Stones, to key artists in the city's musical history like Oasis and Take That. It has also hosted various sporting events, such as the 2002 Commonwealth Games and even comedy, with Peter Kay holding his record breaking residency at the arena in 2010/2011.

Live Events at Manchester Arena

The next few months see a variety of exciting events come to the arena. Many bands will be gracing the venue with their presence in support of new record releases, from Mumford and Sons to Muse. Other events include the World Championship Boxing: Crolla v Perez re-match, the Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour and WWE RAW and Smackdown wrestling.

Venue Information

Only three miles from Junction 17 on the M62, the venue is easily accessible by car and has large on-site parking facilities. Parking spaces are also available to pre-book. Using public transport is one of the best ways to access the arena, with buses, trains and trams that will drop you just minutes from the main entrance. This includes the city's free Metroshuttle service which links to Victoria Train Station.

Similar Venues in Manchester

Manchester is well known for its array of great music venues. Former cinema space Band on the Wall is a great placed to discover all the latest up and coming bands and also hosts regular jazz and reggae nights. The O2 Apollo, along with hosting some of the best musicians and bands around, also stages major comedy tours.