Here for the London prepares series. Venue for spectating is superb, but the food prices are not just high, they are 300% mark up and service is poor. Don't buy stuff, enjoy the venue read more

The O2 - Music Venues Near Me - London, XGL

What's not to like. It's go something for everyone and not just when there's concert one. I've walked over it (Up at The O2) which as amazing (if a little windy). I've watched great acts there. I've eaten there. Drunk there and watched films there. I've even taken the cable car there (which is awesome) and rode the Thames Clipper back (which is the only way to travel IMHO). All in all, great place and a brilliant use of the stupid Millennium Dome tent rubbish. read more

I just love this place!! My all time fav place. I go there every weekend to watch movie at cine world. Thumbs up!! read more

So I am one of those Nine Inch Nails fans that makes a vacation out of a few NIN tour dates. When they announced their UK/EU dates for the spring, I knew I had to come to London to see them. Unfortunately, with the time difference and a bit of indecision on my part, we got tix up in nosebleed. I figured it would be okay since NIN shows have great visuals and in the end I wasn't disappointed. Even though the venue is ginormous, the sound was great and so were the sight lines. I took a few videos and the sound quality was way better than I thought it would be which definitely speaks for the acoustics. The seats were comfortable (not like I sat in them for most of the show), but I appreciated being able to sit for a bit after some standard show dancing/fist pumping, etc. Pro-tips: do I even have to say that the Tube was the best way to get in and out of the show? There are a bunch of bars/restaurants/etc around the arena for pre or post show shenanigans if you're feeling uninspired to make real plans before or after. read more

I know, I know, I know...a review of a venue is probably gonna be affected by how great the actual event attended was. Let's just count that as my little disclaimer. 5 stars! I went to the 02 last weekend for the Country2Country festival. I am not a big country music listener, but was buoyed by the promise of beers poured into pint glasses the shape of cowboy boots (these never materialized, but the dream was there). The venue was great. The security was totally on-point (we were trying to rush the stage / line dance simultaneously) without being overly pushy or officious. The beer queues were short. The bathrooms (other than one post-concert rush) were clean and quick for in/outs. Sound good. Big screens good. Live in central-ish London? Well double-win because the Tube access is simple and easy-peasy. I think I'm at an age where I generally am snobby about big arena things* "oh, the O2? Naaaaah" used to be my standard line. But no longer! Country music or anything else I'm down for more O2-ing. *unless it's Beyonce. YONCE, ALWAYS. Yelp note: NEXT UP - USHER AT THE 02 WHADDUP!!! read more

I've only ever been to The O2 on an event day, but I have to say, they do it pretty well. Of course it gets busy, and if you want to eat somewhere before a concert, you'll have to get there early. But there is a large variety of places to eat, a Cineworld, exhibitions, places to hang out, and even (currently) one of those machines that presses a penny flat (Brian C is addicted). For the venue portion - the main venue is really strict on what you can take in. I saw 2 small bags of crisps confiscated when I was there last week to see U2. Plus they take all the caps off bottled drinks, so if you're feeling devious, slip a bottle cap into your pocket. Even though we had limited view seats (ie, behind the stage) we could see everything. Personally, I think the upper tier seats are just really a bit too high to properly enjoy myself, and I'd rather have less central seats a level down. The best way to go though, if you can swing it, is in a corporate box - they usually have bar service within the box, and a large selection of private seats. The few times I've been lucky enough to go and be in a box, I found that most people were more interested in the bar than the concert, and I had a great view with lots of space around me - bliss. read more

Despite the hype I never actually got to visit the 02 when it was the infamous 'millennium dome' and quite frankly I don't really mind! The venue as it is now is a fantastic place for everyone and I always enjoy a trip there. I have visited for a few different reasons, concerts, dinner, clubs, cinema but I must admit I mostly visit when I have tickets for something (Fleetwood Mac btw was the BEST!) As a venue I think its fantastic. Despite it's 20,000 capacity no view is a bad view and it doesn't feel huge compared with places like Wembley and Twickenham, where sitting at the back really does mean at the back. The acoustics are fairly good and I've always felt like I've gotten a good deal even when I've had the 'worst' seats. More than being just a venue, I am very fortunate to live a mere 10 minute bus ride from the 02 and thus often use it as my go to cinema or dining experience. It's the one time I appreciate living in South East London (come on restaurateurs we need more dining experiences in SE). The cinema is cineworld which are fairly reasonably priced and have huge screens. They show all the latest films and its easy to navigate your way to. With a plethora of restaurants you can really make an evening of it and they have something to suit everyone's tastes including Nandos, Las Iguanas, Byron, TGI Fridays and loads more. I'm a big fan of the outside bit where they have a mini Tesco, coffee shops and a nice space with fountains etc. My only suggestion would be to add shops. The 02 could be an 'all in one' with a shopping centre! Despite this it is the perfect place to catch dinner, a show or a film or even just a coffee! Especially if you havent made up your mind! read more

The O2 is a cool place to hang out if you enjoy the feeling of living in an Orwellian-esque land. I find the place rather terryfying. We went to see Chris Rock last night in the arena, at a record breaking (for attendance) comedy gig. Half the gig was quite good, the rest was essentially a list of offensive cliches about the differences between men and women, black people and white people, black women and white men and so on ad infinitem. The venue itself felt to me like a sort of sociological experiment. 15,000 people in one room watching one person seems in practicality to be wrong to me. For a band, it might be less weird. We were on the 4th level, at the back. The view was completely unobstructed and we could see almost the entire venue. But again this just reinforced the panoptic 1984 feeling. From the balconies on the 4th floor you can see the tops of all the restaurants on the ground floor (of which there weren't enough to accomodate all the people who were in the O2 last night). Being able to see the tops of the cafes, makes it look like a fake town. Like Sim City 2000. Of course the Millenium Dome (as I will insist on calling it) is an impressive building, mostly in terms of its collosal size. It is quite exciting when you first enter it, but I couldn't shake the feeling of not really being in a 'real' place. Of course, the fact that there are seemingly only chain restaurants in the buidling doesn't help get rid of that corporate sense. I think when the robots have taken over they will enjoy the Millenium Dome. read more

I saw Bon Jovi here a little while ago (why must you mock me for this? Hmmmm?), and we got tickets in a swanky corporate booth. Hurrah! Yes, hurrah indeed. But this mean that there wasn't really much singing along. The acoustics were great, but if you're away form the action, and can't sing along unless feeling like you're at karaoke, you'll feel pretty odd. Especially when Bon jovi is so singalongable to. Shush, that's a word. The stage is amazing (unless you've got the seats behind the stage - really, what's the point?) and the sound is good. The whole place is shiny, well organised and I had a fab time. Even though I wish I'd been right in the old man rock action. Still, it's only a 20 minute walk back home, and I can't say that about Wembley. read more

Awesome! Epic venue. Get there early and explore!-- The O2 has so much to offer. My husband and I were on vacation in London, visiting from Hawaii, and had the good fortune to see Robert Plant and Van Morrison at there 3 months ago. They put on a amazing show, the acoustics excellent!! Got our tickets last minute on Viagogo and scored floor seats. Loved this venue. Highly recommend! read more

The O2 is just ace, definitely a turnaround for what used to be the dome and gloom and all the best artists are now performing here over other venues in town. It's more of an experience, rather than just going out to a gig in a sweaty flea pit. Definitely a must do if you're visiting London and live in London, great to explore a developing area of the city. Loads of nice restaurants to choose from - everything from sushi to Gaucho's, and even an S&M cafe if you like your bangers and mash woohoo! (i'm veggie but they do great veggie sausages). Saw the Spice Girls and the lovely Kylie here recently and travelled to the gigs via ye olde river Thames - loved it! So cool that you can get somewhere in London without needing to get on a smelly tube, added something special to the evening. There's also an S&M cafe on the boat - bangers all round then! ;o) read more

I have been to the O2 Arena recently and have been absolutely amzed by the tranformation since Millenium Dome was first built. It has become such a lively place unbelievable packed with activities and great places to hang out. This year alone, I have been there for 3 events. Disney On Ice : Finding Nemo, Nick Evans talk show and Britain Got Talents Even if you are not going for shows do go and have a look. it's has changed no longer a white elephant it is now a venue! read more

Maybe its because I've had the luxury of sitting in an executive box and taking in all the free food and beer that entails, but I like the o2 as a venue - a classic example of converting a white elephant into something useful. I have sat in the cheap seats as well - to see Prince - and that was good too - although the acoustics seemed to be better in the box as well. Food outlets do generally seem a bit overpriced and underwhelming but that's no different to any other arena you could mention. so yeah i like it. read more

When I arrived in London in early 2001, the Millennium Dome was a huge joke: the worst failure of an over-hyped let's-kick-off-the-next-1000-years. No one, at the time, thought it would become the most popular ticket-selling venue in the world. I've been there five times, to see Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Roger waters, Duran Duran and Afrika! Afrika! I think that it's just about as amazing as a large venue can be. Access is so simple. The Jubilee Line runs right to it, and your short walk to the front door is entirely under cover. Buses, taxis, and driving are all accommodated for as well, though I can't imagine why you'd bother with the hassle of the last option. The building itself is gorgeous, I think, really interesting. Its only once you're inside that you realise how functional those exterior roof spikes are, because they remove any need for interior sightline-blocking supports. The lobby area is huge and ornate. It's got shops galore. The interior arcade of bars, restaurants, shops, movie theatres, skating rinks seems endless. None of it's cheap, of course, but if you want to beat the crowds, get there early, and have a fancy meal or a few glasses of wine before a show, you're well catered for. The performance area is great. Yes, it's huge, but it's round and very steep at the top, so even when up in the nosebleeds you're much closer than you would expect to be. There are tons of concession stands and toilets on every level. There seem to be plenty of staff on hand at all times, and they're very helpful. I've heard the nightclub-type venue inside the venue - the indigO2 - is quite cool, but I've not been in it yet. They've got lots of fenced-in exterior space, too, which is where they put the Afrika! Afrika! tent. The only painful part of a visit to the O2 is getting to the Tube afterwards. They throttle access into the Underground entrance after shows (to prevent crowds building up at the top of, and on, the descending escalators), which means you can often queue in the crowd for 10 or 15 minutes. I hate the fact that there are acts I can only see at a venue as large as the O2, but if I've got to do it, I can't imagine a better layout for doing so. read more

Firstly the 02 Venue. i recently went to see WWE Wrestling at the 02 this was my first visit and i was so afraid of the seats! it was packed and in order to get to your seat you need to shimmy across a 8 inch gap to your seat! with no railings! so if you fall or trip you can fall! well thats what i asume would happen! it was very scary! the venue is so big you can barly see whats going on! but the seats inside the venue scared the hell out of me The O2 as a place has a suprising amount of things to do! lots of different places to eat, ice rink, cinema, 02 relaxation pods, free make your own dance video! you can have a nice day out at the 02! and there are always new things happening read more

Massive, i came here to watch High School Musical On Ice. I found this place to make me go : AHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOOOOO AHHHHHHHHHH hehe, if you get what i mean, to get here from archway you need to travel: Archway Station, N19 -- Waterloo Station -- (Underground) DLR (i think) It's really big so if your planning to go as a family and there are little kids, keep an eye on them as they get lost finding your seat as it's so big. read more

From the disabled persons perspective, the venue is good. There is a seperate car park for blue badge holders and a drop-off point near the tube station. The venue is huge, but the staff are helpful. There are lifts which get very busy. Loads of disabled loos, with hoists and other helpful aids. The wheelchair spaces are either right by the stage or at the back of the standing section, so very good or very bad. They do let your companion in free if you tell them when booking. read more

The 02 Arena is an amazing place to visit and the perfect venue to host concerts of all sorts. The arena has a much better feel to it than Wembly Arena and it is closer to get to than making your way all the way up to Wembly Arena if you live south of the river Thames. The folks managing the 02 Arena really go out of their way to attract the crowds and there is always a good turn out for any concert. Just before you enter the arena, you're bombarded with bars and food places which is great for when you need to kill some time before the concert. The Jubilee line is a few meters away and they know their stuff when it comes to crowd control and safety. read more

The O2 - Music Venues Near Me - London, XGL

I was really looking forward to coming to the O2 to see the amazing Kylie Minogue and it definitely didn't disappoint. Although i can understand why some people think that the stage is too small because it is such a huge place i would have expected it to be a bit bigger but never mind as the accoustics were exceptional. There is also a very good selection of bars and restaurents to suit every appetite - i especially love Nando's!!! This is such a great entertainment venue i can't wait to go backalthough the tickets can be more expensive than some smaller venues, its well worth it for the experience! read more

much more than just a music venue. Nightclubs, restaurant, and an all round quality night. Saw Basement Jaxx here in December. AWESOME! read more

The venue is truely amazing , not only is it a top concert venue you can also see the egypt exhibition which is currently running at the moment. Theres also almost every type of cuisine available along with bars shops and cimema. A great place to take the family could be a little expensive but what isnt nowadays. The kids will love it. read more

You know, this place is pretty easy to diss being big and corporate and all that.but having lived withing 100 yards in Milllenium Village and walked to concerts of a summer eve, I'm a pretty big fan. And I can't even remember coming here when it was the 'dome' although I remember paying big prices for doing so! Good viewing from all seats, although admittedly pretty tiny from the 'cheap seats', there are usually screens beside the stage that offer great views of performances. Good bar/toilet to person ratio on each floor (it's important when you're rushing between songs from a favourite album versus the new stuff no-one knows!). Good pre-and after-concert restaurants and bars in the place too, as well as a range of ways of getting home - recommend the boat to London Bridge and down the river, which runs till the wee hours, a classy and comfy way to get home. I've seen people from Prince to Snow Patrol, Dolly Parton to Justin Timberlake and Scissor Sisters here and they were all unique in their own way, with the stage arranged differently and a different feel each time. This and the Royal Albert Hall (for entirely different reasons) are my favourite concert venues in the city Have yet to check out the Tutankhamun exhibit but it's on the (ever expanding) list. read more

For a venue of this size, it's obvious the O2 has been thought out well and by those with experience of what's needed when dealing with large volumes of people. The arena is massive yet you can still get a pretty good view even up in the nose bleeds. It could do with more fast food places around the outside and not just sit down restaurants as I'm often running late for things and don't want to be waited on whilst I'm running late, but getting in and getting out is no problem despite the number of people. read more

This was the Millenium Dome. It is a great venue, really nice inside. The capacity is 20,000. It has good bars and restaurants inside. Some great bands go here. I found it easy to get to by tube. There is a multiplex cinema inside with 11 screens and you can get very cheap tickets for children. Inside the O2 there are 548 toilets so you won't be queuing for ages. Parking is available outside and if you go to the cinema and retain your ticket then you can claim the money back that it has cost you to park. Inside the O2 bubble they have exhibitions on in different months and the parking cost is £5 for all day. read more

It's nice to see that this place has been turnt around after it flopped as the Millennium Dome! It is really easy to get to, just a Jubilee line train to North Greenwich, and from the station it's about a 5 minute walk, which is clearly marked. The new owners have really made it somewhere people want to visit and when I went recently with a friend it was real fun. I visited the cinema and afterwards took a walk around, it was nighttime, and it looked amazing! All those lights were really amazing, it's like a city, but undercover. It's really amazing. And the O2 also hosts many concerts and even Gunther Von Hagen's Body World's which looks fantastic. Before I really disliked the Millennium dome, but now it's somewhere that is worth going. read more

The 02 has transformed the millenium dome from white elephant to leading entertainment centre. The sheer scale of the place has to be seen to be believed, it is like a mini town all on its own. Pride of place now is the 23,000 seater indoor arena which is now the best in the country (yes MEN arena, really!) Great for sporting events, though its acoustics have been criticized at gigs there. Outside the arena itself but still housed within the dome seems a huge village of shops, restaurants & public houses and even a massive cinema. The whole building is very spacious and overwhelming. Transport to and from the O2 is by tube and Thames Clipper read more

There's so much more in here than I was expecting, the space has been used really well. It's very easily accessable via train and boat, the inside is clean, and if you need a mobile phone, you wont have to look far. The arena space is huge, if you are at the top it's very high up. read more

Probably one of the best venues in London. Great food outlets. Parking is great. It is well signposted driving up to the place along the A2. One drawback is the views aren't too clever on the higher tiers. There are giant video screens on each side of the screen. I am a wheelchair user. There are plenty of wheelchair seats. Try to get the ones nearer the stage. The other ones are on tier three. Which is OK for the food stands but not so hot for viewing the stage. The whole use of the dome as a multi-media centre is a brilliant use of space. Go see it! read more

The o2 is one of the most convenient concert venues I've ever been to. I have nw been about 5 times for various concerts and comedy shows and I always enjoy it. No matter where you sit you can always see, although the act on stage may be a bit small. It's very easy to get to, we usually get the Jubilee line as it's about a 2 minute (probably less) walk from the door of the station to the door of the o2. Jsut be careful on your way out as I've found that after concerts tryign to get back into the tube station can be diffiult and I've seen a lot of pushing (as well as a lot of people being very sensible about it). There's lots of places to eat and drink before your show, all with varying prices and to suit most appetities. There's alsoa news agents but be careful because often you can't take drinks in. Once you're in the actual venue there's lots of places sellign drinks and sweets but they're very expensive - you're better off to stay outside and enjoy your refreshments then buy as little as possible once you've given in your ticket. I love the O2 and will be there again very soon! read more

I can only talk about the O2 from a non concert go-er. We visited the Body Worlds exhibit here a couple of weeks ago which is my only experience of the dome since it's former days as the millenium dome! I was very disappointed - I had expected there to be more things to do other than restaurant after restaurant - or at least more variety - there was only 1 pub, everything else was a chain restaurant! Not to mention the fact that the food was also expensive in these places. If you are going to do an activity here I recommend eating before you go and not getting there too early as you will only be wondering about with nothing to do! read more

The Titanic Artefacts Exhibition is on at present. I travelled up from Reading to Waterloo then tubed to North Greenwich. It was only a short walk to the O2. Having been to the original exhibition in the Wembley arena just before Wembley Stadium was demolished I was pleased to see all the artefacts again. Added was the system of rooms and cabins as they were on the Titanic. If you are interested in things Titanic it is worth the visit. I spent a lot of time looking round, I think I will have to visit again to see I may have missed. read more

Despite its size, the O2 has amazing acoustics no matter where you sit. Obviously if you want to 'see' the act avoid the upper level unless you're happy with the screens, but if you're happy to just hear, sit anywhere. read more

The O2 - Music Venues Near Me - London, XGL

Excellent venue to meet up with friends and enjoy your evening cocktail and a wonderful meal

The aboslute destination for gigs! Huge arena space, easy to access from central London through public transport. Great selection of restaurant and bars to choose from before or after your concert. It hosts also a multiplex cinema making it a popular destination for any time of the day. read more

Okay, after a few years of it being built, I think it's good for music events sport events, but not much else. I would visit it only in 4 cases: 1) If my favourite music band/artist is playing a gig. The acoustics are superb inside, and its the best place in London to hear your favourite music. 2) If there's an exhibition on, I have to admit that the Tutankhamum exhibition was a big draw to the O2, and I really think this is the best way to exploit the Dome's use. 3) My personal biggest reason! Water Margin restaurant. Okay there's a wide range of other good restaurants, but read my review of the Portsmouth Water Margin to understand why this is one of my favourite restaurants. Best Chinese in London! 4) If I am bored, have too much time on my hands, and go to the O2 cinema, or restaurants there for a normal evening out, although given how easy it is to find a good restaurant/cinema in your local London area, or Leicester Square, for that matter, this is something I wouldn't contemplate, except if the weather was really really bad. read more

I went to the O2 to watch Scissor Sisters and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. The venue is massive, but the stage was like a pin prick in the distance, the warm up bank was on for 3 hours!! And they were rubbish, poeple were booing after an hour but they carried on!! I had to leave early too because of the train times but I suppose that was a blessing, the queues to come out of there were hell, from what I heard! The restaurants and bars leading into the venue were packed out and drinks were too expensive!! read more

I think that the o2 area is amazing, but the resterants and cafes are very expensive, and with the current financial problems it was hard to find a place to eat which fits our circumstances. The best thing is they have a variety of different places to eat from bars to top resterants. Also at different times of there are different events on which suit different peoples taste. read more

The O2 - Music Venues Near Me - London, XGL

If you want to eat before a concert at the O2 Arena, I have a tip for you. Get there early, and decide where you want to eat right away. We got there early, and were almost immediately attracted by a rather nice Thai restaurant. BUT . 'Let's see what else there is before we go firm on it!' That was a mistake, for there are an awful lot of food outlets within the Arena. By the time we'd checked them all, read their menus and returned to the Thai restaurant, we were told there'd be a 30 minute wait before we could even be seated. And, the concert started in 45 minutes. So, the search had to be confined to places where we could be seated and served almost straight away. The one we chose was the 'Armadillo', which wouldn't, normally, have been my first choice. They try desperately to 'be American', but don't quite make it. There's American beer on offer, but there's also Beck's beer which is better and cheaper. I found the music a little too loud for my tastes, and the restaurant was a little crowded. But, nevertheless, the service was slick and efficient, and we couldn't complain about the food; fish and chips and a chili burger. It's just that the ambience doesn't quite do it for me. read more

We went for the atp tennis, I love this venue. Tons of restaurants and bars, so easy to get in and out of whether you go by tube or taxi or drive. Great views from almost every angle. Fast food is tasty if you don't have time for restaurants. Roving drinks guys everywhere. I brought visitors from far away here, they were all super impressed. Security is always polite and thorough. My absolute favorite venue for concerts or sport. read more

The O2 - Music Venues Near Me - London, XGL

Went to the John Mayer concert with some friends. Had great seats. I did not know many of the songs but the music was fantastic. The O2 Center is a nice venue. A lot of different restaurants to choose from. We are at a African place called Nandoo then had some milkshakes at GBK. Good experience over all. read more