Joe GallopOak View Group (OVG) has announced a new opening date for its Co-op Live Arena (cap. 23,500) – the UK’s largest indoor live entertainment venue that was originally set to open in December this year.
The arena, which has cost an estimated £365m to be built by BAM Construct UK, will now open its doors in April 2024. The venue is being developed as a joint venture between City Football Group and Los Angeles-based OVG. Investors in the arena include Harry Styles, who announced his participation in October 2020.
Last year OVG unveiled the venue’s ‘smart bowl’ design, inspired by conversations with Styles and Bruce Springsteen. The arena will feature the largest floor space of any indoor UK venue, with a low ceiling and tiered seating. It is the first UK arena to be built around concert acoustics.
A spokesperson for Co-op Live said, “It’s huge kudos to BAM, and the dozens of local subcontractors working on the project, that we are well within our original timeframe and on-budget given the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and an energy crisis.”
Once completed, the arena will house 32 bars, restaurants and lounges offering locally sourced food and drink. The venue is expected to generate £1.5bn for the local economy.
The first test events at Co-op Live are being planned for April 2024, with the exact opening date still to be announced.