Utilita Arena celebrates 25 years of events

Utilita Arena Newcastle, the North East’s largest entertainment venue, is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a week-long social media celebration from December 1–7 that will pay tribute to the Arena’s amazing and varied event history, as well as rewarding fans for their support.

Fans who follow the Utilita Arena Newcastle social media accounts @arenanewcastle across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will be treated to exclusive content, amazing prizes and giveaways, showcasing the thousands of memories made at past events whilst looking forward to a future of #makingmemories when gigs can return.

Conceived and constructed by Chas Chandler, ex-member of the 60’s band The Animals (of ‘House of the Rising Sun’ fame) and his partner, Nigel Stanger, the Utilita Arena Newcastle changed the landscape of live entertainment in the North East when it opened its doors for the first time on 7 December 1995 with a concert by the iconic David Bowie.

The 11,000 capacity Arena was purpose-built proving to be a highly versatile live entertainment venue and over the past 25 years has welcomed some of the finest world-class entertainers to the region, including Tom Jones and Sir Elton John, Diana Ross and Cher. It has hosted several major sporting events such as the Davis Cup Tennis and Nations Cup Snooker. And has also staged many lavish theatrical productions including Riverdance and Les Misérables.

In preparation for the celebrations, the Arena team has been busy giving the venue a revamp, and if you have visited the venue this year you may have already noticed some of the uplifts. We have toned down the colour of the foyer and corridors and gone digital! Hospitality spaces have been revitalised for guests to spoil themselves.

The venue features in the memories of so many people from across the North East and further afield and this celebrations serves as a huge ‘thank you’ to Chas Chandler and Nigel Stanger for taking such a leap of faith 25 years ago to make all these memories possible.

Over the years, the Arena’s naming rights partners have changed and 2019 marked a four-year partnership with rising energy brand, Utilita Energy.

Ailsa Oliver general manager, Utilita Arena said “Wow, the last 25 years have flown by so quickly! 2020 has not been the ideal year to celebrate but we know the memories of so many amazing events and artists who have performed at the Arena provide happiness and a desire for the future. We are excited for a time new memories can be made, until then we will enjoy reminiscing with our loyal customers on their fondest memories of this iconic building.”

Join the celebrations from Tuesday 1 December, share your special memories and let us know which shows you’re most looking forward to.

We can’t wait to welcome fans back to the Utilita Arena Newcastle in 2021, in the meantime, stay safe and well.