Manchester’s Co-op Live opening pushed back to ’24

A new opening date has been revealed for Manchester’s Co-op Live.

Set to become the UK’s largest live entertainment arena, the 23,500-cap venue was originally due to be completed by December this year, but will now open in April 2024.

The Manchester Evening News reports test events are being lined up for next spring, with an official opening act due to be announced in the coming months. No specific reason has been given for the delay, although a statement references “the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, supply chain shortages, and an energy crisis”.

“Co-op Live will be opening our doors to fans in April 2024,” says a Co-op Live spokesperson. “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”

“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.”

The £365 million development is a joint venture between Oak View Group (OVG) and City Football Group (CFG) and will play host to over 120 shows annually at Manchester’s Etihad Campus. Former Ticketmaster UK executive Gary Roden was brought in as executive director and general manager earlier this year.

OVG says Co-op Live has been designed “with sustainability at its core”, and will use electricity for everything from air-source heat pumps for heating and domestic hot water through to cooling and catering, without any gas supply serving the site.

As well as pledging to support Manchester City Council’s target of becoming net zero carbon by 2038, the venue will donate at least £1m annually to the Co-op Foundation to support local and national initiatives focused on young people, food security, education and sustainability.

Manchester is fresh from hosting one of its busiest ever weekends of live music, with headline more than 300,000 concert-goers flocking to the city for shows by Coldplay at the 60,000-cap Etihad Stadium (31 May, 1, 3-4 June), Arctic Monkeys at the 50,000-cap Emirates Old Trafford (2-3 June) and Elton John at the 21,000-cap AO Arena (31 May, 2-3 June).

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.