Olympia will return to hosting live music as AEG is announced as one of the first tenants of the £1.3bn redevelopment.
The operator of the O2 Arena in Greenwich has signed an agreement to run a 4,400-capacity live music venue to be purpose-built above the 14-acre site’s existing West exhibition hall.
It is not looking to recapture the glory days of Olympia, such as the now-legendary night in 1967 when it hosted Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and The Who. Instead it will be for “the guys who are a step down from that”, which apparently includes James Blunt.
The other two tenants are hotels, with CitizenM opening a 145-room lifestyle hotel, while Hyatt will run the 196-room Hyatt Regency London Olympia.