O2 ARENA

The O2 Arena, locally referred to as the O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the United Kingdom, behind Co-op Live and Manchester Arena, and in 2008 was the world's busiest music arena. The arena and broader complex were built within the former Millennium Dome, a large dome-shaped building intended for an exhibition celebrating the turn of the third millennium. As of 2022, it is the ninth-largest building in the world by volume with a diameter of 365 metres (399 yards) and a height of 52 metres (57 yards). It is named after its primary sponsor, the telecommunications company O2, a subsidiary of Virgin Media O2. Following the closure of the Millennium Experience at the end of 2000, the Millennium Dome was leased to Meridian Delta Ltd. in December 2001, for redevelopment as an entertainment complex. This included plans for an indoor arena. Construction of the arena started in 2003, and finished in 2007.