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 Arena frontage | |
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| Former names |
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|---|---|
| Location | Arena Square Engineers Way Wembley Park Wembley HA9 0AA[1] |
| Coordinates | 51°33′29″N0°16′59″W / 51.55806°N 0.28306°W /51.55806; -0.28306 |
| Public transit | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Wembley Arena (formerly The Empire Pool) |
| Designated | 9 October 1976 |
| Reference no. | 1078877 |
| Owner | Quintain |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group / ASM Global |
| Capacity | 12,500 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 1933 |
| Opened | 25 July 1934; 90 years ago (1934-07-25) |
| Renovated | 2005–2006 |
| Reopened | 2 April 2006 |
| Architect |
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| Website | |
| ovoarena | |
Wembley Arena (/ˈwɛmbli/) (originally theEmpire Pool, currently known asOVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons)[2] is anindoor arena next toWembley Stadium inWembley,Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater London's second-largest indoor arena afterthe O2 Arena, and theninth-largest in the United Kingdom.
The Empire Pool (also known as Empire Pool and Sports Arena)[3] was built for the1934 British Empire Games byArthur Elvin. As its original name suggested, it was where the games' swimming events were held. The pool was last used for the1948 Summer Olympics. The modern arena is now used as a venue for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport.
The building was designed by the engineer SirOwen Williams, without the employment of an architect. Williams built a unique structure, with cantilevers meeting in the middle, thus avoiding the need for internal pillars. He also used high quality concrete, meaning that it has aged far better than many more recent concrete buildings.[4] The building had a reinforced concrete frame of three hinged arches spanning 240 feet (73 m), which was the largest concrete span of any similar structure in the world at that time.[5]: 220–22 [4][6]: 147
Work on the Empire Pool began in November 1933, and it was opened on 25 July 1934 byPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. The swimming pool itself was 200 feet (61 m) long and 60 feet (18 m) wide with a removable deck for ice skating. As with the adjacent stadium, construction was supervised by R.J. Fowler,Wembley's chief building inspector.[5]: 138 The end of the building opened up and led to sunbathing terraces and lawns. The sides had 15 massive concrete buttresses and the tops of the ends were glazed with 20 narrow window lights of increasing height from the edges to the centre.
Ice hockey was introduced to the Empire Pool in October 1934.[6]: 148–49
In 1940 the Empire Pool was used to billet several hundred Gibraltarian evacuees who were removed from Gibraltar as the Fortress was extensively reinforced in expectation of heavy Axis attack and possible Invasion.
In October 1976, the Empire Pool was awarded Grade II Listed status, protecting it and recognising it as a building of special architectural interest, technological innovation and virtuosity.[7] On 1 February 1978, the Empire Pool was renamed Wembley Arena.[8]
When the venue was known as the Empire Pool, it hosted the annualNME Poll Winners Concerts during the mid-1960s. Audiences of 10,000 viewed acts likethe Beatles,Cliff Richard &The Shadows,the Monkees,the Hollies,Dusty Springfield,Joe Brown & the Bruvvers, andDave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. The individual performances were then finished by a famous personality joining the respective performer on stage and presenting them with their award. The Beatles were presented with one of their awards by actorRoger Moore, and Joe Brown was joined on stage byRoy Orbison who presented him with his own award. These ceremonies were filmed, recorded and later broadcast on television.
Musical acts who subsequently performed there includeLed Zeppelin (who played a special two night "Electric Magic" concert during their1971 Winter Tour; the poster for the event, designed by Steve Hardcastle,[9] sold on the night for 30p,[10] has become a collectors item, fetching over £500 at auction),[11][12]T. Rex (whoseRingo Starr-directed documentary filmBorn to Boogie is centred on a 1972 concert at the Empire Pool),Genesis,David Bowie,the Rolling Stones,Bon Jovi,INXS,Pink Floyd (who played there on their 1974 British Winter tour and 1977 "In the Flesh" tour), Roxy Music (played two nights there - 17 & 18 October 1975 - on their Siren tour),The Eagles (on theirHotel California 1978 tour),the Grateful Dead,Dire Straits (who played there on their "Brothers In Arms" tour in 1985 (13 consecutive nights) and "On Every Street" tour in 1991),Status Quo,Queen andthe Who,
The venue was renovated, along withWembley Stadium, as part of the early-21st-century regeneration of theWembley Park area. The arena was closed for fourteen months, starting in February 2005, for a refurbishment costing £35 million; events were moved to a neighbouring temporary 10,000-seat venue, the Wembley Arena Pavilion.[13][14] The new arena opened to the public on 2 April 2006, with a concert byDepeche Mode. The temporary pavilion was moved toAttard,Malta, opening as the permanentMalta Fairs & Conventions Centre in December 2006.[15]
In September 2013, it was announced thatAEG Facilities had signed a 15-year contract to operate the arena.[16]
The building was renamed The SSE Arena on 1 June 2014 after energy companySSE plc bought the naming rights to the venue for 10 years.[17]
Since early 2022 it has been known asOVO Arena Wembley.[18]
TheGrateful Dead have released recordings of complete shows from 7–8 April 1972 as part ofEurope '72: The Complete Recordings. The Grateful Dead also performed at Wembley Arena on 31 October 1990 as part of their fall 1990 European concert tour.[19]Bruce Hornsby accompanied the band for this concert.[20]
A notable attendance record was set in the early 1970s byDavid Cassidy in his first tour of Great Britain in 1973, when he sold out six performances in one weekend.[21] The experience and the associated mass hysteria was documented in a TV special called "David Cassidy: Weekend At Wembley".[22]
Queen first performed at Wembley Arena from 11 to 13 May 1978 on theirNews of the World Tour.[23] They would return on 8 to 10 December 1980 onThe Game Tour, and in September 1984 onThe Works Tour.[24]
ABBA played six sold-out concerts, from 5 to 10 November 1979. The shows were filmed by Swedish television for a documentary which was released in 2004 on DVD asABBA in Concert.[25] In September 2014 Universal Music releasedLive at Wembley Arena, featuring most of the concert of 10 November on CD, vinyl LP and digital format. After the tour, the members of the band talked about the warmth of the Wembley audience. "It was like coming home after a couple of nights," said guitaristBjörn Ulvaeus.[26] A finale from these concerts, "The Way Old Friends Do", is the closing track on ABBA's seventh studio album,Super Trouper. VocalistAgnetha Fältskog said it was the vibe from the audience that made the track work so much better as a live performance than as a studio track.[26]
George Dalaras performed a sold-out concert at Wembley Arena on 27 June 1992.[27] It is the biggestGreek concert ever held in United Kingdom. It was a personal initiative of George Dalaras in order to support Cyprus and to promote theCyprus problem. Among others,Vanessa Redgrave and Georges Moustaki had taken part in the concert.[28]
Tina Turner is the female artist with the most shows, with 25 and with 5 at Wembley Stadium (three in 1996 and two in 2000)[29]Cliff Richard is the male artist with the most number of shows with 61,[30] whereasStatus Quo hold the record for a rock band with 45 performances.[31] Irish bandWestlife are the pop band with most shows with 28.[32]
Christina Aguilera performed there on 2, 3 and 5 November 2003 as part of herStripped Tour. The shows were filmed and later released asStripped Live in the U.K.
Beyoncé performed there on 10 and 11 November 2003 as part of herDangerously in Love Tour.Live at Wembley was filmed during these two concerts.
Pearl Jam hold the attendance record for one show, with 12,470 fans at their 2007 gig.[33]
Madonna performed at the arena eight times during herConfessions Tour.The Confessions Tour album was filmed during these concerts.
On 3 August 2013,Nepathya became the first Nepalese band to perform at the Arena.[34]
On 19 December 2015,Nightwish became the first Finnish act to headline the Arena.[35]
On 2 April 2016,Babymetal became the first Japanese act to headline the Arena[36] and set the record for the Arena's highest ever merchandise sales.[37]
On 12 November 2017, the2017 MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony was held at the arena. The event was hosted byRita Ora and featured performances fromEminem,Demi Lovato,U2,The Killers,Kesha and more.[38]
TheQueen biopicBohemian Rhapsody premiered at the Arena on 23 October 2018, in recognition of howFreddie Mercury and Queen gave the iconicLive Aid performance in 1985 at nearbyWembley Stadium.[39]
On 17 November 2018, London based DJAndy C performed a DJ set lasting five hours, the first all night event to take place in the venue's history. The event had sold out in three days six months prior.[40]
On 7, 8 and 9 March 2019, American musical duoTwenty One Pilots performed three shows at the arena as part of theThe Bandito Tour.
On 10 March 2019, Chinese singer-songwriterJoker Xue headlined the arena as part of hisSkyscraper World Tour.[41]
The 13th GlobalSiyum HaShas ofDaf Yomi took place in January 2020, the largest of its kind in the UK.[42] The second series ofBBC One'sThe Wall was filmed at the venue in 2020.[43][44]
On 17 March 2023,All Time Low filmed their live show Alive at Wembley, which was live streamed and released on vinyl.[45]
On 25 October 2023,Critical Role filmed a live show, titledThe Mighty Nein Reunion: Echoes of the Solstice, where they playedDungeons & Dragons.[46] It sold out "in less than 6 minutes" with 12,000 tickets.[47]
On 19 November 2023, Chinese singer-songwriterJoker Xue returned as part of hisExtraterrestrial World Tour.[48]
On 21 June 2024, singer-songwriterIU became the first South Korean female soloist to headline the arena as part of herHEREH World Tour.[49]
On 11 October 2024, Japanese bandOne Ok Rock performed at the arena for theirPremonition World Tour, giving their largest show in the UK since their debut,[50] with a special appearance fromEd Sheeran.
On 12 March 2025, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actorIan Chan, a well known member of Cantopop groupMIRROR, will begin the first stop of his"Tears" in My Sight solo concert tour.[51]
On 3 May 2025, Norwegian singer-songwriterAurora will perform at the arena for herWhat Happened to the Earth? tour, giving her biggest headline show in the UK.[52] Fredrik Svabø andPomme are set as opening acts.
On 13 December 2025, Americanpop-punk bandBowling for Soup are set to perform their biggest headline show at the arena, withWheatus and Punk Rock Factory set to open.[53]
During the1948 Summer Olympics, the venue hosted theOlympic boxing,Olympic diving,Olympic swimming, andOlympic water polo events.[54] The venue hostedOlympic badminton andOlympic rhythmic gymnastics at the2012 Summer Olympics.[55]
From 1934 until 1990, the Empire Pool / Wembley Arena was the venue for theWembley Professional Tennis Championships which was a part of theprofessional Grand Slam from 1927 until 1967.[citation needed]
From 1936 to 1939, the early 1950s and the late 1960s to the late 1970s, the Skol 6-Day cycle race was held there. An indoor velodrome of 166 metres was assembled from sections each September. This was Britain's first indoor velodrome. Top professional riders from the European 6-Day circuit came to London, includingEddy Merckx,Peter Post,Patrick Sercu and many others. British riders such as World pursuit championHugh Porter and British Champion Tony Gowland also competed.[citation needed][56]
TheWembley Lions andWembley Monarchs were two ice hockey teams that used the venue regularly during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, while theLondon Lions used the venue for a season in the 1970s. Wembley also hosted theBritish Hockey League play-off finals weekend at the end of each season up until the league's disbandment in 1996. The arena played host to two pairs ofNHL preseason games: theChicago Blackhawks versus theMontreal Canadiens in1992 and theToronto Maple Leafs versus theNew York Rangers in1993.[57]
The boxing World Championship bout between then championAlan Minter and challengerMarvin Hagler, which the latter won, was held at Wembley Arena in 1980. The arena hosted the MF &DAZN: X Series 004 and 007 events forKSI vs FaZe Temperrr andKSI vs Joe Fournier in 2023.[58]
The arena played host toBAMMAmixed martial arts events on in May 2011 (BAMMA 6), September 2012 (BAMMA 10) and September 2017 (BAMMA 31) as well asUFC on Fuel TV: Barão vs. McDonald, in February 2013.[59]
TheHorse of the Year Show was held there from 1959 to 2002. From 1979 to 1983, indoorspeedway was held during the winter, with the riders racing on concrete on a 181-yard track[60] TwoNBA basketball exhibition matches were played at the arena in1 October 1993, featuring theAtlanta Hawks andOrlando Magic. It hosted the final of thePremier League Darts in 2009 and2011 as well as the 2010 playoff finals. It also hosted theMasters snooker tournament from 2007 until 2011.[citation needed]
The European League Of Legends Championship Series, which is a competitiveesports league in the computer gameLeague of Legends, played its round of matches at the arena in 2014.[61] The 2015League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals took place in the Arena.[62] In September 2018, the playoffs for theFACEIT Major: London 2018Counter-Strike: Global OffensiveMajor Championship took place in the arena.[63]
The venue has hosted many professional wrestling events fromJoint Promotions,WWE,NXT (TakeOver: London),World Championship Wrestling,World Wrestling All-Stars,Impact Wrestling, andProgress Wrestling,[64][65]
With the reopening of Wembley Arena in 2006, a "Square of Fame" area has been created in front of the arena. Similar to theHollywood Walk of Fame, notable Wembley Arena performers are invited to havebronze plaques imprinted with their names and handprints. The first star to have a plaque wasMadonna, on 1 August 2006.[66] On 9 November 2006,Cliff Richard added his handprints to the Square.Rick Parfitt andFrancis Rossi, ofStatus Quo, unveiled a plaque, with one of each of their handprints, on 16 December 2006. On 9 January 2007,Kylie Minogue included her handprints, on the final day of the London leg of her Showgirl Homecoming Tour.
Seven time World Snooker ChampionStephen Hendry added his handprints on 21 January 2007. International country superstarDolly Parton unveiled her plaque, on the final night of her UK tour, on 25 March 2007. Canadian musicianBryan Adams unveiled his plaque, on 10 May 2007, just before his 25th appearance at the venue. Just three days later, singerLionel Richie was presented with his plaque on 13 May 2007, after another sold-out performance at the arena. Irish boybandWestlife unveiled their plaque on 28 March 2008, after 27 sell-out shows, in the space of 10 years. They have sold 250,000 tickets. All four members,Shane Filan,Nicky Byrne,Kian Egan andMark Feehily were presented with a cast of their hands, which can also be seen in the Square of Fame.Alice Cooper added his handprints in 2012 as the only solo artist to have headlined at the venue in each of the past five consecutive decades.[67]
Wembley Arena is served byWembley Park station on theLondon Underground viaOlympic Way, andWembley Central station via theWhite Horse Bridge.
Train services are operated byChiltern Railways fromWembley Stadium station toLondon Marylebone andBirmingham. London Buses routes 92 and 440 stop directly outside the arena. Wembley Central station is located nearby on High Road and is served byLondon Overground, London Underground,Southern andLondon Northwestern Railway services.
The onsite parking facility is shared with Wembley Stadium, essentially being the open-air surface parking surrounding the eastern flank of Wembley Stadium and the multistorey car park. These are called Green Car Park and Red Car Park respectively. There is disabled parking available onsite, at the Green Car Park, at a reduced rate but on a first-come, first-served basis.
Media related toWembley Arena at Wikimedia Commons
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