Ava Scott-Nadal

For plenty of Londoners, the words ‘O2 Arena’ are synonymous with massive live events. The multi-purpose indoor arena has been around for nearly two decades, but in 2024 it ascended to new, record-breaking heights. Last year the O2 saw a massive 12 percent rise in visitors, bringing the total number of people coming through its doors to 10 million. Part of a structure once known as the Millennium Dome (which Gen Z apparently discovered only last year), the O2 opened in its current form as a multi-purpose venue in 2007, and in 2018 the complex added Icon Outlet, a shopping centre home to over 60 designer brands. In 2024 the O2 welcomed ‘active gaming facility’ Activate and expanded its retail selection with 31,000 sq ft of new brands. All of which led to the O2 not just increasing footfall in 2024 but also boosting sales, which rose by 6 percent. Last year the O2 hosted gigs by the likes of Sam Fender, Janet Jackson, Ms. Lauryn Hill and The Fugees, McFly and Paul McCartney. Things could get even bigger for the O2 in 2025: some of the UK’s biggest music tours will stop by Greenwich over the next 12 months, including the likes of Tyler, the Creator, Busted vs McFly, Usher, Billie Eilish and Kylie Minogue.  Commenting on the O2’s record-breaking stats in 2024, the venue’s managing director of its entertainment district and outlet shopping Janine Constantin-Russell said: ‘We have consistently demonstrated just what a success story The O2 is, not only for tenants and operators, but