If you like gigs and live in London you’re onto a good thing. With biggest bands and singing stars passing through the city on a regular basis, it’s easy to catch your idol in concert.
We’ve put together a series of posts on the most influential live music venues across the capital and what makes them special.
Next up is The SSE Arena, Wembley, along with a few suggestions on things to do in the Wembley area so you can make the most of the experience.
Who can you see?
Headline acts in 2016 include Nickelback, Simply Red , The Cure and Cattlefish and the Bottlemen.
While live music acts remain a bedrock – it has also carved out a niche in family entertainment with the likes of Disney on Ice and CBeebies playing there.
The X Factor tour also uses the arena as its annual base, and they film the live shows round the corner in Wembley at the Fountain Studios.
It’s also proved popular as a live comedy venue, in particular with Michael McIntyre fans who can enjoy three shows in 2015.
The sporting showcases tend to be boxing, wrestling and martial arts.
Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena
FACT: The venue is also famous for being the last gig The Beatles played live, ably supported by Roy Orbison and The Walker Brothers in 1966 (the same year England won the World Cup next door).
Capacity
With seats it holds a maximum of 12,740 people, making it the second largest indoor area in the UK after The O2.
FACT: The Arena hosts more than half a million visitors each year.
What’s the sound like?
A new sound system was put in place as part of £35m refurbishment of the arena in the mid-naughties.
FACT: Built originally in 1934 as the Empire Pool and Sports Arena – if you dug up the floor you would still find the pool intact.
Eating and drinking at the Arena
The venue has a large sit-down restaurant in the Arena and there’s also a large TGI Friday’s next to the arena.
For the sweet-toothed, Sugar Mill Desserts has a Mediterranean- style savoury menu, a chocolate fountain, eight different types of sundaes and creamy classics like Eton Mess and Baked Alaska.
Getting there
Wembley Park. Image by Steve Walker via Flicker Creative Commons
- Tube: Wembley Park is the closest station (Metropolitan or Jubilee). You can also get off at Wembley Central (Bakerloo).
- Train: You can get a train from Marylebone to Wembley Stadium station.
- Buses: You can get any of these to Wembley Arena: 79, 83, 92, 182 and 224
Address: Arena Square, Engineers Way, Wembley Park, Wembley, HA9 0AA
Find them on Twitter
Down for a day? Here is what you can do near Wembley
The London Designer Outlet in Wembley Park has more than 50 brands in the complex, all offering discounted prices. High Street giants like Next and Gap have outlets or you can perfect that rock star look with a pair of shades from the Sunglass Hut.
Take the time to visit the Hindu “Neasden Temple“, or to give its full name, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. Of architectural and religious significance (it’s built to be a traditional place of worship but is open to all faiths) you can visit the marble temple and the surrounding gardens. Free entry, open Mon-Sun 9am to 6pm)
The Neasden Temple. Image by jo.sau via Flicker Creative Commons
Eating and drinking near Wembley Arena
The London Designer Outlet is a good place to start for food as they have the general family-friendly chains like Nando’s, Pizza Express and Wagamama’s.
A vast proportion of the population of Wembley is Asian, so you’ll find plenty of places to eat with lots of Indian and Sri Lankan restaurants to choose from.
Ealing Road, near Wembley Central is a good place to go to experience the best Asian cuisine in the area.
You’ll also find Wembley Tandoori, under the Wembley Stadium arch if you want to stick close to the Arena along with Italian restaurant, La Regina.
If the weather is nice, The Green Man Pub & Hotel is a good shout as they’ve got a massive beer garden for a pint in the sunshine. You can also get food here – with a large selection of pub classics – think pies, scampi and chips and burgers.
The Torch knows its audience is often fans coming to watch their team, so if there is a big game on at Wembley Stadium be aware that it might get busy.
You can get burgers and steaks here, and they have a special kids menu too.
Staying there
There are several hotels near Wembley Arena for you to choose from – so you don’t have to worry about a long journey home post-gig. We’ve also found you two hotel’s 20 mins each way from Wembley if you want to stay a little closer to the centre of things, or further out of town.
Hotels nearby
Hilton London Wembley
Hilton London Wembley – room with a view
This stylish Hilton hotel is within a few minutes walk of Wembley Arena and has plenty of restaurants and bars to have a pre-gig drink and bite to eat.
Holiday Inn London Wembley
Bar and lounge at the Holiday Inn
This well connected hotel has spacious rooms and is close to Wembley Arena and the tube, if you fancy heading into the centre of London.
IBIS London Wembley
You can see the iconic Wembley Arch from this hotel which is handily placed for both the arena and stadium. This affordable 3* hotel is popular with gig-goers.
A central option
The Park Plaza Sherlock Holmes London
Sherlock Bar at the Park Plaza
Baker Street is a great place to stay for any trip to Wembley as it has direct links to all the tube lines that go there and is only 20 minutes away.
This 4* hotel plays homage to London’s most famous detective and their are nice details of the super sleuth featured throughout. You are also ideally placed to visit Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum.
Watford to Wembley
Holiday Inn Express London-Watford Junction
Holiday Inn Express London-Watford Junction
This hotel is right next door to Watford Junction station, which in turn is just 20 mins train journey away from Wembley. A good option if you are travelling by car and don’t fancy facing the London traffic
This is also a great place to stay if you are also thinking of doing the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London . Here you will find the Making of Harry Potter interactive experience, where you can ride a broomstick, drink a Butterbeer and see all the sets from the film franchise.
The Making of Harry Potter (c) Warner Bros. Studio Tour
Tell us about your Wembley Arena experience
We would love to hear what you think about the Wembley area, so let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
We’ve also put together some other London gig guides see below:
- The O2
- Roundhouse
- Royal Albert Hall
- Wembley Stadium
The post London’s Largest Gig Venues: Wembley Arena appeared first on lastminute.com Blog.
from lastminute.com Blog
http://www.lastminute.com/blog/wembley-arena/
No comments:
Post a Comment