Our beautiful city of Liverpool attracts a large number of tourists every year. The reason is not just the wonderful architectural landmarks and beautiful scenery, but also the exciting events that are regularly held in our city. Locals and visitors have become accustomed to festivals, live music concerts, various sporting competitions, and more. Many of these events are hosted at the Liverpool Arena, which opened in 2008. Today, we’ll talk more about this multi-purpose arena in the heart of Liverpool. Read on for more details at liverpoolski.com.
Liverpool Arena Opened Its Doors in 2008
On 12 January 2008, there was a real celebration in the centre of Liverpool as the Liverpool Arena (now known as the M&S Bank Arena) opened its doors to visitors. The opening ceremony was an impressive spectacle and has become a legendary part of our city’s history. The show, titled ‘The Liverpool Musical’, delighted the city’s residents, featuring 700 performers. The production of the event reportedly took 15,000 hours to organise.
It should be noted that over the years, the Liverpool Arena has welcomed more than seven million visitors across 3,800 different events. In terms of economic impact, the arena has contributed an estimated £1.6 billion to the city’s economy.
About the Architecture
The venue was designed by WilkinsonEyre architects and Sport Concepts. It hosts a wide variety of events, including concerts, sporting competitions, and festivals. The total capacity is around 11,000 people, but the Liverpool Arena is a flexible space that offers various standard and custom layouts depending on the type of event being held.
Additionally, it features six dressing rooms, five team changing rooms, and two promoter’s offices. Cars can be parked in the underground car park. In December 2017, a fire broke out in the adjacent multi-storey car park. At the time, the arena was hosting the Liverpool International Horse Show. The show had to be cancelled, and 80 horses were evacuated. The fire was extensive and burned for several hours. The fire-damaged car park had to be demolished, and a new one was built in 2019. Fortunately, no people or horses were harmed, although 1,400 cars were destroyed in the blaze.
What Events Have Taken Place at the Arena
Countless events have been organised at the Liverpool Arena. Of course, we cannot describe them all, but here are a few highlights:
- The 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards. The event was held on 6 November 2008, and it was the second time the awards ceremony had taken place in our country. The host for the evening was Katy Perry.
- Concerts by showbiz stars. The Liverpool Arena is an ideal venue for concerts. Our city has hosted performances by Justin Bieber, Little Mix, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, and many others.
- The Eurovision Song Contest 2023. In May 2023, the popular song contest was held at the arena in Liverpool. The event consisted of two semi-finals and a grand final. It was the first time Eurovision had been held in Liverpool, but not the first time in the UK. In total, the contest has been hosted in the UK nine times.
- Sporting competitions and events. The Liverpool Arena has hosted many sporting competitions. For example, from 2008 to 2010, the basketball team Mersey Tigers regularly played at the arena. It has also hosted horse shows, darts competitions, and the Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, among others.
There was a period when the Liverpool Arena fell silent. During the coronavirus pandemic, almost all sporting competitions, shows, and concerts were cancelled.
So that’s the story of the Liverpool Arena. We hope you found this material informative and learned something new about our city.