London’s O2 Arena saw a 19% YoY jump in arena performances to a new all-time high of 239 in 2025, as ticket sales rose 11.4% YoY to 2.9 million.
That’s according to figures published by the venue’s owner and operator, AEG, on Wednesday (December 17).
AEG said the venue also set a new attendance record when Radiohead drew 22,355 fans during a four-night run, exceeding the arena’s 20,000 capacity.
AEG attributed what it called “a landmark year for the venue” to reinvestment in live event technologies, enhanced premium ticketing options and diverse programming across music, sport, entertainment and comedy. The venue recently switched to 100% renewable energy.
First-time performers at the O2 jumped 34% YoY to 55 acts, including Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, Pitbull and Tyler, the Creator. A number of these artists sold out multiple nights during their debuts. The venue also hosted its first performers from China, Singapore, Japan and Turkey.
The O2 topped Billboard‘s year-end charts for total attendance and number of shows while ranking second globally for revenue. It remains the only UK venue among the world’s top 20 arenas by these metrics, AEG said.
Commenting on the venue’s performance this year, Steve Sayer, Senior Vice President and General Manager, The O2, said: “2025 has been an extraordinary year for The O2, marking our third consecutive year of record-breaking success and firmly cementing our position as the world’s most popular live entertainment venue.”
“2025 has been an extraordinary year for The O2, marking our third consecutive year of record-breaking success and firmly cementing our position as the world’s most popular live entertainment venue.”
Steve Sayer, The O2
“Welcoming more events and more fans than ever before is a powerful reflection of both the continued strength of the live entertainment sector and the relentless dedication of our team, who work tirelessly to deliver best-in-class experiences for the millions of guests we are proud to host each year.
Sayer added: “Our 2025 program has been ambitious, diverse, and truly global, while The O2 continues to set the standard for innovation, fan experience, and sustainability. This year stands as one of the most successful in our history, and as we look ahead to 2026, our commitment to delivering world-class content and supporting the artists, partners, and communities we serve has never been stronger.”
The O2’s strong performance comes amid the continued rebound in live entertainment post-pandemic. In September, new data from industry group Live music Industry Venues and Entertainment (LIVE) showed that consumer spend on live music events in the UK jumped 9.5% YoY in 2024 to GBP £6.68 billion (USD $7.23 billion at the average exchange rate for 2024).
LIVE is a federation of 15 live music industry associations representing 3,000 businesses, 35,000 artists and 2,000 backstage workers.
“This year stands as one of the most successful in our history, and as we look ahead to 2026, our commitment to delivering world-class content and supporting the artists, partners, and communities we serve has never been stronger.”
Steve Sayer, The O2
The report noted that UK live music growth doubled that of the global recorded music industry, citing data from Goldman Sachs’ Music in the Air report showing that recorded music revenues rose by 4.8% worldwide in 2024.
However, LIVE flagged the ongoing problem faced by small and grassroots music venues, which have been shutting down at a rapid pace in recent years.
LIVE CEO Jon Collins said at the time: “While UK live music continued the post-lockdown trend of strong performance for the biggest names at the biggest venues… pressure built across our grassroots as venues closed, tours were cancelled or cut back and festivals called time.
Most recently, AEG said The O2 last week announced a three-year partnership with Music Venue Trust (MVT) that includes direct donations each time a new headliner performs at the arena for the first time. MVT represents hundreds of grassroots music venues across the UK.
To mark the start of the partnership, The O2 made an initial “six-figure donation” to MVT.
Elsewhere across AEG’s UK operations, AEG Presents UK on November 20 formally opened the booking diary for its new 3,800–capacity music and events venue at Olympia London, unveiling British Airways ARC as the venue’s official name.
Overseas, AEG’s ticketing arm AXS formed a joint venture with Japan’s Lawson Entertainment in October and agreed to take a majority stake in Singapore-based SISTIC that same month.
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