Peter Kay to open Manchester's Co-op Live
The UK's biggest arena launches in April
Peter Kay is to open the UK’s largest live entertainment arena in April, it has been announced today.
The comic will be the first to play the 23,500-seat Co-op Live in Manchester on April 23.
Gary Roden, general manager of the new venue, said: ‘When you think of Manchester, it’s hard not to think of Peter Kay.
‘He embodies what this city is about, and to have him headlining Co-op Live is tremendously exciting. We’re creating an arena that is truly part of the community around it, and having Peter as our opening act is a perfect reminder of that.’
Kay famously worked at the Manchester Arena in his youth, and played a record 20 nights there in his Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour in 2010.
He is currently in the middle of an arena tour spanning more than 120 dates, including a monthly residency at the O2 in London, that will run through to 2025.
Co-op Live is being built next to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and features a bowl design that architects say will bring fans closer to the artist than at other arenas of equivalent size.
Manchester Arena venue is currently the UK’s biggest, but will lose its crown when the rival opens less than two miles away.
Jason Manford is also scheduled to play Co-op Live in October 2025.
Tickets for Kay’s gig there go on general sale at 10am on Friday.
Published: 19 Feb 2024
