A new opening date for Co-op Live, the £365m indoor arena being built by Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, has been announced.
The megastructure will now open its doors for the first time in April next year. The project was originally expected to have been completed by December this year.
Test events are planned to be staged in April with an exact date for the first act open to the paying public due to be announced in the coming months.
The 23,500-capacity arena is being built by BAM Construct UK and is being led by a joint venture between City Football Group and Los Angeles-based Oak View Group. Pop star Harry Styles was also announced as an investor in October 2020.
The Manchester Evening News reported earlier this year that Simon Moran’s gigs promotor SJM Holdings, which is the holding company of both SJM Concerts and rugby league club Warrington Wolves, also has shares in the joint venture.
Gaiety Investments UK, the business run by Irish concerns promotor Denis Desmond, is an investor as well.
A Co-op Live spokesman said: “Co-op Live will be opening our doors to fans in April 2024.
“It’s huge kudos to BAM, and the dozens of local subcontractors working on the project, that we are well within our original timeframe and on-budget given the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and an energy crisis.
“We’re proud to be on the home stretch to delivering Co-op Live and we can’t wait to invite fans in to experience the biggest and most sustainable arena in the UK.”
It had also previously been expected that Co-op Live would start announcing the first shows in September 2022, with tickets going on sale a few months later.
When complete Co-op Live will feature a ‘smart bowl’ which took inspiration from conversations with Bruce Springsteen and Harry Styles.
The bowl will feature no corporate branding and will be lined by suites at the edges of level two which will include soundproof black curtains to maximise the impact of shows’ sound and lighting.
The arena will also include the largest floor space of any indoor venue, a “significantly lower” ceiling, and tiered seating.
Co-op Live will feature 32 bars, restaurants and lounges, including a locally sourced and sustainable food and drink.
The venue was given the go-ahead in 2020 and has a 15-year naming rights deal with the Co-op.
