Belfast’s former SSE Arena has become The O2 Belfast. The milestone marks the start of a major 10-year naming rights agreement and signals the beginning of a historic new era for live events, sports, leisure, and visitor experiences.
Situated in the heart of Belfast’s iconic Titanic Quarter and welcoming millions of visitors annually, The O2 Belfast is a vibrant, multi-purpose destination that brings together world-class live entertainment, sport, education, dining, and leisure under one roof. At the heart of The O2 Belfast is Northern Ireland’s largest indoor entertainment arena. With a capacity of up to 11,200, it hosts a diverse year-round programme of international concerts, major sporting fixtures and family shows, attracting audiences from across Ireland and beyond. The O2 is also home to the Belfast Giants – the only professional ice hockey team on the island of Ireland and one of the most successful clubs in UK ice hockey history. Complementing its live events programme, visitors can also enjoy a range of renowned eateries and leisure attractions, making The O2 Belfast one of Northern Ireland’s most popular destinations for a day or night out.
In addition to live entertainment, The O2 Belfast is home to the award-winning W5 Science and Discovery Centre, providing inclusive access to more than 250 hands-on STEM-based exhibits across eight interactive zones. Adjacent to W5 is W5 LIFE, a state-of-the-art digital learning hub dedicated to addressing the skills requirements of Northern Ireland’s increasingly digital economy.
Now, as The O2 Belfast, the site joins O2’s extensive portfolio of 21 venues across 14 UK cities, which includes iconic locations like The O2 in London – renowned as the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination – alongside O2 Academy Brixton, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, O2 Academy Glasgow and O2 Apollo Manchester.
Paul McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of The Odyssey Trust, said: “Today is a day we’ve been looking forward to, and it’s wonderful to see The O2 Belfast officially come to life. Since announcing this partnership, the excitement from our audiences, visitors and the wider Belfast community has been incredible – and that energy drives everything we’re doing.
“O2 is a world-renowned brand, and together we’re committed to building on what makes this such a special destination: delivering the best experience every time for all visitors who walk through our doors. We look forward to unveiling further developments as we progress towards a full launch later this year.”
Beyond tickets for arena events, Priority members visiting the venue will be able to access the O2 Blueroom from September – a premium VIP retreat within the arena reserved exclusively through the Priority app. Featuring exclusive perks, surprise-and-delight moments and live entertainment, the O2 Blueroom will offer customers a unique way to elevate their event experience. In addition, Priority members will benefit from 20% discounted entry to W5, alongside access to exclusive prize draws, special rewards and a range of money-can’t-buy experiences throughout the year.
O2 mobile customers can also benefit from boosted 4G and 5G+ connectivity, available now, following new upgrades to the network. The upgrades ensure each area of the arena has capacity to deliver a great mobile experience for customers – even when events are sold out.
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship at Virgin Media O2, added: “O2 can’t wait to welcome music, sports and comedy fans to our new home in Northern Ireland. From Priority Tickets pre-sales, giving unrivalled access to tickets, to our forthcoming new O2 Blueroom and boosted mobile connectivity onsite, we are on a mission to deliver a world-class experience at The O2 Belfast, and this is just the beginning. We’ll see you at a show or a Belfast Giants match soon.”
The naming rights transition represents the first phase of a broader sitewide transformation, with further developments set to roll out in the months ahead. In addition to September’s launch of the O2 Blueroom, a series of exciting activation events will take place across the site in the coming months, as the Belfast Giants return to on-ice action in August with O2 in place as the team’s new title sponsor, the arena welcomes a packed calendar of events, W5 continues to inspire curiosity in learners of all ages, and visitors enjoy the wide range of dining and leisure experiences available throughout The O2 Belfast.
For more information about The O2 Belfast and to stay up to date with what’s on, visit www.theo2belfast.com