AO Arena
Manchester's original big arena. 21,000 capacity at Victoria station, still pulling massive tours despite the new competition down the road.
Back to venues
The AO Arena has been Manchester’s big room since 1995. Originally the MEN Arena, then the Manchester Arena, then Phones4u Arena (everyone pretended that didn’t happen), now the AO Arena. 21,000 capacity for concerts. It’s hosted everyone from Oasis to Beyoncé.
The arena was badly damaged in the 2017 attack and the rebuilding changed more than the physical structure. Security is thorough now. The foyer was redesigned. It reopened and carried on, because that’s what Manchester does.
Location is brilliant – directly connected to Victoria station. You walk off a train and you’re basically inside the venue. Trams stop at Victoria too. It’s the most accessible arena in the country by public transport, no argument.
Sound quality is arena sound quality. It’s a big concrete bowl. Some seats have restricted views and they’re not always clearly marked at purchase. The upper tiers are steep and high. If you get nosebleeds easily, think twice about the back rows up top.
Co-op Live has taken some of the biggest tours, so the AO has had to sharpen up. Ticket prices have come down on some shows. The food and drink inside is still overpriced and average, but that’s arenas everywhere.
For a gig at Victoria station, you can’t beat the convenience.
This is my venue
Claim this venue
You run this place and you want the listing to be right. Fill this in and we will check it before anything changes on the page.
