OVO Arena Wembley is a 12,500-capacity indoor arena in Wembley Park, North London, opened in 1934 as the Empire Pool for the British Empire Games. The venue has been renamed multiple times through sponsorship deals and has been known as OVO Arena Wembley since 2022 under a naming rights agreement with OVO Energy. It is operated by ASM Global and hosts major touring artists, sporting events, comedy shows, and family entertainment. The venue is best suited for established artists with significant commercial traction who can fill a 12,500-capacity room in the London market.
Dire Straits played Wembley Arena on July 10, 1985 during the Brothers in Arms Tour. Here is "Money For Nothing" from that performance, uploaded by the official Dire Straits YouTube channel with over 11 million views:
History
The venue was designed by Sir Owen Williams and opened on October 25, 1934, as the Empire Pool, a swimming venue for the British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games). The building featured a reinforced concrete structure and was one of the largest indoor venues in the UK at the time. The pool was covered with a temporary floor for events, and the venue soon began hosting concerts, boxing matches, and other entertainment.
The venue hosted the 1948 Olympic Games swimming events. In the 1960s and 1970s, it became one of London's primary concert venues. The Beatles played there multiple times in 1963 and 1964. The Rolling Stones performed there in 1964. Led Zeppelin played there in 1971. T. Rex performed two famous concerts there in 1972 that were recorded for the "Live at Wembley" release.
The venue underwent a 36 million pound refurbishment completed in 2006, which modernized the concourse, improved seating, upgraded acoustics, and added new hospitality areas. The swimming pool that gave the venue its original name was permanently removed during this renovation.
Sponsorship naming has changed frequently: the venue was known as Wembley Arena throughout the 1980s and 1990s, then as the SSE Arena Wembley from 2014 to 2022, and as OVO Arena Wembley from 2022 onward.
Notable Performances
OVO Arena Wembley has hosted performances by most major touring artists of the past 60 years. The Beatles played there on multiple occasions in 1963 and 1964. David Bowie performed there in 1976 and 1983. Queen played there in 1980. Michael Jackson performed there in 1988. More recent performers include Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Beyonce, Drake, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Stormzy, and Olivia Rodrigo.
The venue also hosts the X Factor live finals and has been used for BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremonies, NBA Global Games, and Premier League Darts events.
Notable Performances Here
- Dire Straits (July 10, 1985) - Performed during the Brothers in Arms Tour. The concert was professionally filmed and released as a live video. The official Dire Straits YouTube channel has published multiple songs from this show, including "Sultans of Swing" with over 6 million views:
- P!nk (2006 to 2007) - Recorded her "Live from Wembley Arena" DVD during the I'm Not Dead Tour. Here is "Who Knew" from that recording, uploaded by PinkVEVO:
- The Beatles (1963 to 1964) - Played multiple dates at the venue during their early UK tours
- The Rolling Stones (1964) - Performed at the venue during their first UK headlining tour
- Led Zeppelin (1971) - Played the venue during their early 1970s UK tours
- T. Rex (1972) - Performed two concerts recorded for the "Live at Wembley" release
- David Bowie (1976, 1983) - Performed during the Isolar Tour (six nights in May 1976) and the Serious Moonlight Tour (three nights in June 1983)
- Queen (1980) - Played the venue on December 9, 1980 during The Game Tour
- Michael Jackson (1988) - Performed during the Bad World Tour
- Nightwish (December 19, 2015) - Recorded their "Vehicle of Spirit" live album and DVD at Wembley Arena, making them the first Finnish band to headline the venue
How the Venue Operates
OVO Arena Wembley is operated by ASM Global, one of the world's largest venue management companies. The venue has a maximum capacity of 12,500 across standing and seated configurations, with the exact layout depending on the production requirements of each show. The arena floor can be configured as standing general admission or seated, and the tiered seating wraps around three sides of the venue.
Booking is handled through major promoters including Live Nation, AEG Presents, and Kilimanjaro Live. Independent artists cannot hire this venue directly. A Wembley Arena show requires a booking agent, a promoter partnership, and enough ticket demand to justify a 12,500-capacity room. Most artists who headline Wembley Arena have already completed multiple UK arena tours or have achieved significant chart success.
Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster and AXS depending on the promoter. The venue has multiple food and beverage outlets, VIP hospitality suites, and accessible seating areas.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
OVO Arena Wembley is not a realistic booking target for independent artists. The venue sits at the arena tier of the UK touring circuit, which requires major label support, significant streaming numbers (typically 5 million-plus monthly listeners on Spotify), and a booking agent with promoter relationships. The economics of a Wembley Arena show involve production costs of 100,000 to 300,000 pounds before the artist sees any profit.
However, the venue is useful as a benchmark for independent artists planning their career trajectory. If your goal is to eventually play Wembley Arena, you need to understand the progression: grassroots venues (200 to 800 capacity), mid-sized venues (1,000 to 2,000), large theatres (3,000 to 5,000), and then arena venues (10,000-plus). Each tier requires approximately 3 to 5 times the audience of the previous one.
For independent artists, the more relevant London venues to target are the 100 Club (350 capacity), Camden Assembly (250), Oslo Hackney (450), and Electric Ballroom (1,100). Shepherd's Bush Empire (2,000) and Brixton Academy (4,921) represent the next steps up.
Use our Tour Revenue Calculator to model how different venue tiers affect touring revenue. Read our guide on how to book your first tour for a framework on building from small clubs upward. The complete guide to making money as a musician in 2026 covers live revenue at every scale.
Related Resources
- Tour Revenue Calculator - Estimate earnings from live shows
- How to Book Your First Tour: Step-by-Step Guide
- Complete Guide to Making Money as a Musician in 2026
- OVO Arena Wembley Official Website
- Wembley Stadium - The larger 90,000-capacity stadium next door
- The O2 Arena - London's other major indoor arena, capacity 20,000
- Royal Albert Hall - Another iconic London concert venue, capacity 5,267
- O2 Academy Brixton - A smaller London venue at 4,921 capacity, the step below arena tier
- Hammersmith Apollo - A London venue at 5,000 capacity, another step below arena tier
