Andy Burnham and Blossoms in AO Arena landmark as bar and restaurant gets set to open with Co-op Live looming

A topping out ceremony has taken place at Manchester’s AO Arena to celebrate the completion of a £50 million redevelopment. The event also saw AO confirm the extension of their naming rights until 2030. 

In attendance at the ceremony were some famous faces from Greater Manchester. Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham was present, giving a speech to those who were part of the event. Also at the ceremony was Mercury prize and Brit Award nominees Blossoms. The Stockport band are one of the hottest names in music at the moment, and they left their hand prints in cement at the venue. 

The redevelopment has seen huge changes made to the back of house experience for acts and crew, including a whole new green room. Fans will also see a difference with the new lower concourse bar area set to be able to cater for 6,000 people- this is set to increase the standing capacity of the venue.

Another highly-anticipated development at the arena is the new bar and restaurant. The Mezz is set to open in March. At this venue, the arena will treat guests to an exclusive pre-show experience with some of the best seats in the house and access to some of the best restaurants in the world. This comes as a result of a first-of-its-kind partnership with chef Simon Rogan MBE of UMBEL restaurants and chef Tom Barnes of Skof restaurant.

There have been upgrades to the areas that guests do not see, with improved acoustics and sound which were already widely regarded as the best in Europe. Industry-leading heating and ventilation systems have been installed to make the whole venue safer and more environmentally sustainable. There are improvements to the venue’s security, too, with the addition of a new state-of-the-art control room. 

For nearly 30 years, the AO Arena has been a focal point for music and other events in Manchester. The redevelopment has been viewed as the start of the next chapter for the venue, which continues to host some of the biggest names in music and entertainment in the year that a rival emerges in the form of Co-op Live.

Blossoms said: “When the AO Arena opened again after Covid, we were the first band to play a gig here. We’re excited to celebrate the official topping out of the re-developments and look forward to seeing what the future AO Arena has to offer.”