The Manchester Arena is situated next to Victoria Station and a short walk from Deansgate in the north part of the city centre. The Arena is the biggest indoor venue in the UK and Europe with a capacity of 21,000. The Arena that opened in 1995 has become one of the world’s busiest indoor venues that hosts the biggest names in music, boxing and other indoor sports.
The Manchester Arena opened in 1995 and was built to support Manchester’s ambitious yet unsuccessful bid for the 2000 Olympics. Since its opening night when over 15,000 people turned up to watch Torvill and Dean the Manchester Arena has been setting records ever since. The Arena holds many attendance records due to its size.
The recently named Manchester Arena was originally called the Nynex Arena or the Nynex for short. Nynex sponsored the venue from 1995 to 1998 until Nynex was b bought out by cable and Cable & Wireless. This opened the door to the Manchester Evening News who took over the sponsorship of the Manchester Arena, using a launch campaign created by Manchester’s advertising hot-shop Cheetham Bell. The Arena was sponsored by The Manchester Evening News until late 2011 when it was rechristened The Manchester Arena.
Now the Manchester Arena attracts over 1 million visitors per year who come to see some of the biggest names in rock and pop music as well as family shows and sporting events. Over the years the venue has attracted some big names such as AC/DC, Peter Kay, Guns and Roses as well as Dancing on Ice, the X Factor and recently Coronation Street the Musical.
The Arena hit the headlines recently due to Guns and Roses late arrival and gig that went on in to the night. Many fans were left without transport after the gig finished in the early hours. This was by no means the fault of the Manchester Arena.
The Manchester Arena in Manchester has hosted many top sporting events including world championship boxing bouts where the likes of Ricky the Hitman Hatton and Amir Khan have fought in front of the Manchester crowd. Other favorites include Premier League Darts and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) have graced the Manchester Arena.
The Manchester Arena has excellent transport links as it is attached to Victoria Station where Metrolink and Rail services can be used. In the local area there is the Print Works which is one of Manchester’s top leisure venues and is home to Nandos, Hard Rock Café and an Odeon Cinema.
