The World's Busiest Arena:
The O2 Celebrates Record‑Breaking 2023

A band performing at The O2. Image Credit: The O2

  • The world‑famous venue reports strongest year for ticket sales, with over 2.5 million tickets sold and record‑breaking sales across multiple genres;
  • Milestone moments: celebrates hosting 3,000 arena events and selling over 30 million tickets since opening in 2007
  • Receives string of industry award wins and accolades, including ‘Venue of the Year’ and hosts a year of stand‑out artist residencies

The O2 is celebrating a stellar year of ticket sales, with over 2.5 million arena tickets sold in 2023. This record‑breaking stat follows 2.3 million tickets being sold by the world‑famous venue in 2022 and supports a 9.3% increase in year‑on‑year ticket sales since 2019 (excluding Covid years).

Since opening in 2007, The O2 has firmly established its position as the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure and retail destination, having welcomed over 100 million visitors, sold over 30 million tickets, and most recently hosted its milestone 3000th event with the legendary Tom Jones (Sunday 17th December). In 2023 alone The O2 hosted 216 events from the very best acts in country music, hip‑hop & rap, R&B, rock and comedy.

Steve Sayer, newly promoted Senior Vice President and General Manager at The O2 said: “2023 has been a phenomenal year of milestones at The O2 – from headline performances with some of the world’s most iconic performers like Madonna and Elton John, to surpassing over 30 million tickets sold at the venue. Our record‑breaking ticket sales continue to position The O2 as the world’s busiest arena and we look forward to building on this legacy in 2024 and beyond.”

It’s also been a record‑breaking year for Priority at The O2, with over 390,000 Priority tickets sold to O2 and Virgin Media customers this year – a 67% increase from 2022.

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Alongside a record‑breaking year of ticket sales, The O2 has also won a string of industry awards in 2023, including 'Best Visitor Experience' at the Access All Areas Magazine Awards, 'Venue of the Year' at the London Venue & Catering Awards, and ‘The LIVE Green Award’ at The LIVE Awards. This follows the world‑famous venue being awarded the prestigious ‘Venue of the Decade’ award for the 2020’s by Billboard. Furthermore, the venue has continued to launch industry‑leading initiatives, including most recently with the venue’s Green Rider – a document intended to drive real industry change and make live events at the world‑famous venue more sustainable.

Alongside iconic residencies with Madonna, Elton John and more, The O2 has also seen a rise in first timer performers in the arena this year, with 24 artists playing The O2 for the very first time, compared to 12 in 2022, including the likes of Ateez, Wu‑Tang Clan, 21 Savage, SZA and Louis Tomlinson.

Steve Sayer added: “It really is thanks to the fans, but we also couldn’t provide a best‑in‑class experience at The O2 without the support of our partners, including our ticketing partner AXS, who have been integral to this record‑breaking year of ticket sales, and our naming rights partner Virgin Media O2, who have had another incredible year with Priority tickets. Here’s to all of the fans, bands and brands who’ve supported us this year – we can’t wait for what’s to come in the new year.”

2024 is set to be an exciting year at The O2, with the venue set to host the world’s first carbon removed events, in collaboration with carbon removal experts CUR8 and sustainable event specialists A Greener Future, at The 1975’s headline shows in February 2024.

Image credit: The O2