The O2 Arena has been trending on the Nigerian social media space for the past few days owing to Wizkid’s recent concert at the venue.
This comes after Nigerian international music star Ayo Balogun Wizkid recently concluded his three-day run of the Made in Lagos (MIL) concert at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
After selling out the show three times, the management of the O2 Arena congratulated Wizkid by presenting him with an artwork.
Apart from Wizkid, some other Nigerian music stars that have performed at the O2 Arena include Burna Boy, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Bella Shmurda, Mayorkun, Tems, among others.
This article is focused on what you should know about the O2 Arena.
General information
| Former Name | Millennium Dome (2000) |
| Type | Entertainment venue |
|---|---|
| Architectural style | Dome/tent |
| Location | Greenwich Peninsula London, SE10 United Kingdom |
| Completed | 31 December 1999; 21 years ago |
| Opening | 24 June 2007; 14 years ago |
| Owner | Homes and Communities Agency |
| Height | 52 m (central point within canopy) 100 m (steel masts) |
| Diameter | 365 m (canopy overall) 320 m (internal canopy) |
| Structural system | Steel, tensioned fabric |
| Architect | Richard Rogers (canopy) Populous (redeveloped interior) |
| Structural engineer | BuroHappold Engineering |
| Services engineer | BuroHappold Engineering (canopy) M-E Engineers (redeveloped interior) |
| Awards and prizes | Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award |
| Website | theo2.co.uk |
The O2 Arena was formerly known as the Millennium Dome and was opened to the public in 2000 to mark the beginning of a new millennium. The massive structure is situated at the outskirts of London and costs around $976 million (£700 million) to construct.
According to the original structure of the O2 Arena, it housed a surreal theme park with exhibits inspired by culture, lifestyle and spirituality.
However, 12 months after, the Millennium Dome, now known as the O2 Arena, was shut down because of poor reviews.
Despite the shut down, the building was costing the government $1.4 million (£1 million) per month to maintain, and this made the government put it up for sale, with AEG becoming the new owners.
However, the British Government didn’t sell the O2 Arena rather;, it gave AEG the land for free after the firm agreed to pay 15% of the venue’s net profits for 25 years.
After taking ownership, AEG made some changes to the arena’s structure by putting up a state-of-the-art entertainment complex with a 21,000-seat stadium in the centre.
Today, the O2 Arena is surrounded by a climate-controlled shopping and dining boulevard with an 11-screen theatre complex and museum area.
After the O2 Arena was opened in June 2007, Bon Jovi played on opening night. Today it has hosted many of the biggest music stars across the world.
Aside from the O2 Arena, AEG is also the owner of Staples Center in Los Angeles, New York’s PlayStation Theater, the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, and the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg.
