New 3,800 capacity arena British Airways ARC to open in London in 2026

A new 3,800 capacity arena named the British Airways ARC has been announced to open in London next year.

• READ MORE: The UK ban on secondary ticketing explained by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy: “Time is up for ticket touts”

Today (November 20), AEG Presents UK have announced its new venue, the British Airways ARC. The new state-of-the-art music venue is situated above the current west exhibition hall at Olympia, London. Its official ticketing partner has been confirmed to be AXS, while British Airways is the venue’s name partner.

While an official launch date has yet to be made public, the venue’s booking diary is now open – music fans will be able to find out more about the British Airways ARC and its first acts by signing up at the venue’s official website and its social media pages.

The first acts being booked to perform at the British Airways ARC are expected to be announced in the coming months.

The new venue seeks to preserve Olympia’s bountiful musical history since it was built well over a hundred years ago. Since its inception, Olympia has hosted the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Cure, Rod Stewart, The Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream, Pink Floyd, The Who, Bad Company and more.

In a press statement, AEG Presents Europe’s COO Andrew Spencer said: “Olympia is a place that has an incredible musical history which we want to honour whilst creating a venue that is thoroughly modern with world class facilities for artists and fans alike.”

British Airways’ CCO Calum Laming added: “Together with AEG Presents UK, not only are we creating unique experiences for audiences, we’re also helping shine a spotlight on the next generation of talent. As the flag carrier for the UK, it’s important to us that we represent modern Britain at home and all around the world, and we’re so excited to be a part of Olympia to showcase the very best homegrown and international entertainment.”

British Airways ARC’s conception comes as part of the whopping £1.3billion revamp and remodelling that besides the new music venue will also include 30 bars and restaurants, two hotels, a 1,575-seat theatre, and 550,000 square feet worth of office spaces.

Besides the British Airways ARC, AEG Presents UK also owns other venues such as Indigo at the O2, Eventim Apollo, Wattford Colosseum and University of Wolverhampton at The Halls.

The post New 3,800 capacity arena British Airways ARC to open in London in 2026 appeared first on NME.