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 The NEC Arena, Birmingham, West Midlands, GB, B40 1NT http://www.necarena.co.uk/The NEC Arena is renowned for its blockbusting concerts and sporting events. Located within The NEC complex, the 12,300 seated NEC Arena receives over 1 million visitors every year.
The list of concerts and entertainment events over the years is punctuated by legendary names. Since opening in 1980 with an epic performance by Queen, The NEC Arena has given the finest stage to the finest performers. To date, no less than 68 concerts from Sir Cliff Richard, 37 nights of Status Quo, Simply Red have appeared at 25 shows. Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Elton John on stage more than a dozen times each. From Pavarotti to Bowie, Kylie to Justin, U2 to Blue, The NEC Arena has worked with them all and continues to do so.
The World Figure Skating and the World Gymnastics Championships have both benefited from the first class facilities, along with The Spanish Riding School of Vienna, World Wrestling Entertainment, Supercross and Gatecrasher. The NEC Arena is also the home of Horse of the Year Show, and the largest scale conventions and conferences – such as the Lions Club International – have been exceptionally served by the Arena’s size and flexibility.
The National Ice Centre, Bolero Square, Nottingham, East Midlands, GB, NG1 1LA http://www.nottingham-arena.com/Nottingham Arena provides the East Midlands with a top quality indoor sports, entertainment and conference venue right in the heart of the £43 million National Ice Centre and in the city’s fashionable Lace Market.
The Arena, which is based inside the National Ice Centre, was opened to the public on 1st April 2000 by ice skating legend Jayne Torvill and was given the royal seal of approval by HM the Queen on July 31 2002.
Since then we have gone from strength to strength, hosting the cream of live music, international ice shows and sporting events. In fact year-on-year we are growing, with audience numbers and the number of events reaching record highs.
With a capacity of 10,000 there is no where quite like Nottingham Arena – but don’t just take our word for it. Ask Sir Elton John, Rod Stewart, Oasis, Bob Dylan, Green Day or Usher – they’re among the long list of artists who’ve played here to sell out crowds.
But it’s not just the biggest names in the music business who’ve performed at our venue we’ve also got a lot more going on under our roof. The Harlem Globetrotters, Olympic boxing hero Amir Khan, the stars of WWE and championship athletes from the world of international ice skating – are just a handful of the sporting greats we’ve had here. Then there are the comedians like Lee Evans and David Walliams and Matt Lucas of Little Britain fame and great all round family entertainers like Cbeebies Live and Mickey and Minnie in Disney On Ice.
With enviable transport links to Nottingham – take your pick from aeroplanes, trains, trams, buses or cars – the Arena is within easy reach from almost anywhere. The city can also boast some of the best bars, restaurants, shops and hotels around so there’s no excuse not to take a trip to our venue.
The Arena itself is based inside the National Ice Centre, the UK’s first twin ice pad facility and centre of excellence for ice sport in the UK. It’s home to many of the country’s brightest young skaters and is the training ground for the GB Speed Skating Squad and the Nottingham Panthers ice hockey team.
Theatre Square, Nottingham, East Midlands, GB, NG1 5ND http://www.royalcentre-nottingham.co.uk/Over 200 years ago, the Theatre Royal was envisaged by two Nottingham lace dressers, William and John Lambert, as a 'temple of drama'...a place of "innocent recreation and of moral and intellectual culture". In 1865, after six months of building and at a cost of £15,000, the new Theatre Royal was completed. The Classic facade and Corinthian columns still dominate Nottingham's city centre skyline.
One of the most luxurious theatres of its day, the Theatre Royal provided opulent surroundings for the boom of music hall and variety, the birth of light opera, exciting new drama, touring opera and, by the twenties and thirties, the best Hollywood-style musicals and pantomimes.
By the late 1960's the Theatre Royal had become run down and had a reputation for some of the worst backstage conditions in the country. In 1969, the city council bought it and set about restoring the theatre to its former glory.
In 1978 the Theatre Royal reopened, boasting elegant and airy foyers and bars, a 1,186 seat auditorium beautifully restored in Victorian style green and gilt decor and with fully comprehensive and technically upgraded backstage facilities. The Theatre Royal is now regarded as one of the best touring venues in the country, attracting major touring dramas, opera, ballet, West End musicals and, of course, an annual pantomime. |
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