Plans for massive The O2-beating 25,000 capacity London venue revealed
From basketball to Beyonce?
Watch out The O2, there’s another contender coming for your crown as London’s top arena venue, and it’s called London Colosseum.
When, where, how? London Colosseum will be part of the Olympic Park area in Stratford, nearby the 80,000 capacity London Stadium.
The Colosseum won’t be of that scale, but its proposed capacity will make it the largest arena in the UK to date. It’s planned as an up-to-25,000 person venue, significantly larger than the 20,000 The O2 or the 12,500 Ovo Arena Wembley.
“The London Colosseum’s bowl design allows the arena floor to effortlessly adapt to accommodate 18,000 and up to 25,000 spectators across diverse sporting and entertainment events,” says Ondrej Chybik, an architect from Kristof + Chybik, which is behind the design of the arena.
In the usual fashion, the highest capacity will apply to events where the central floor space can be given over to standing attendees, like gigs. But it sounds like this won’t necessarily be the initial focus of the project.
A baller move?
There’s talk of London Colosseum becoming the home to the NBA’s London offshoot, and that it could host future UFC events, which The O2 has been home to recently. It’s planned to be a major host for esports tournaments, too.
Also channeling the same “The O2 but bigger” energy, London Colosseum is expected to be paired with the construction of two smaller roughly 3000-capacity venues in the nearby area. The O2, of course, has Indigo at the O2, with space for roughly 2800 people.
Other plans for this wider area include a basketball training academy and boxing gym, plus a hotel.
It all sounds bold, and a sure-fire way to spice up the Olympic Park area further, but it’s all subject to change. These plans are in their early stages and are yet to be fully greenlit by the relevant authorities, but we’ll bring you more news of London Colosseum’s construction as and when it arrives.
It almost goes without saying the London Colosseum has nothing directly to do with the London Coliseum. That’s the largest theatre in the West End, with 2,359 seats — just 10 per cent of the space this upcoming mega-venue promises.
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