It has been revealed today that the new 20,000 capacity venue in Bristol will be called Aviva Arena.
It was first announced back in 2020 that plans to develop an arena at Bristol’s Filton Airfield had been approved. It was given the working title YTL Arena Bristol, and was first scheduled to open in 2023, claiming to be the third-largest arena in the United Kingdom at the time.
It said that it would be building the arena in central hangar, and developing the east and west hangars into a ‘Festival Hall’, an event space for conventions and exhibitions, and a ‘Hub’, respectively. It also sought to build a Wembley Way-style pedestrian bridge over the railway line on Filton Airfield. The bridge will act as the main entrance to the arena. Detailed plans of the arena.
Now, YTL Live have shared an update on the new entertainment complex, and announced a new partnership with Aviva.
The long-term multi-million-pound sponsorship agreement secures naming rights for the venue – which will be known as Aviva Arena – and it is expected to open its doors in late 2028.
Aviva Arena will be one of the largest venues in the country and a first of its kind for the West of England, likely to bring in around 1.4million people per year.
Tom Grennan helped announce the naming-rights launch at Aerospace Bristol, delivering a six-song set beneath the iconic Concorde.
Also announced today is that work has begun to transform Brabazon Hangars into a live entertainment destination. The space will house Aviva Arena in the central and largest of the three Brabazon Hangars, as well as a conference and exhibition space. It will be called YTL Live and expected to contribute an estimated £1 billion to the wider Bristol economy over the first decade of operation.
It will be situated in Brabazon New Town, and comes with a new train station on its doorstep – which is set to open later this year.
Aviva Arena will host over 120 events every year, create more than 2,000 jobs during construction, plus a further 500 permanent roles once the arena is operational.
“Aviva Arena will be one of the most exciting and sustainable live entertainment venues anywhere in the world, and we are incredibly proud to welcome Aviva as our naming partner,” said CEO of YTL Live, Andrew Billingham.
“Aviva Arena will put Bristol firmly on the global touring map, delivering unforgettable experiences for fans and artists alike while creating lasting benefits for the city and the wider region,” he added, also saying that the arena will “become a platform for local talent to grow, thrive, and shine.”
Dame Amanda Blanc, Group Chief Executive Officer of Aviva added: “Aviva Arena will further strengthen Bristol’s position as one of Europe’s great creative cities and become a landmark destination for the South West of England”, while Colin Skellett, CEO of YTL UK Group added that the new partnership will “raise the bar for live entertainment in the UK and drive substantial long-term benefits for Bristol and the wider region.”
The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves continued: “Aviva and YTL’s landmark sponsorship commitment is a powerful endorsement of the UK as a world class place to build, to do business and to grow – exactly the kind of long-term investment this Government is backing right across the country.
“It’s good news for people across the West of England, creating thousands of jobs and putting the region firmly on the global map for live entertainment.”
In terms of sustainability, the new arena will be a fully electric venue and is targeting carbon-neutral operations, supporting Bristol’s environmental goals.
The new updates on the forthcoming Aviva Arena come on the heels of news in 2023 that a number of the UK’s proposed new arenas were being pressured by the Music Venue Trust to invest back into grassroots music spaces or else not be allowed to open.
In response, YTL Live told NME: “Bristol is famous for its vibrant grassroots music scene, and we want to make sure that the opening of YTL Arena positively contributes to this.
“We have been developing a community strategy which includes initiatives to support up-and-coming, local artists, and we will be sharing more details of this closer to our opening date.”
Then, in 2024, it was reported that Bristol was hoping to become the first UK city to implement a £1 ticket levy in order to support the local music scene.
The city’s night time economy advisor Carly Heath said at the time that the levy could generate up to £1million each year and would support music venues, events and music making.
She added that the proposals also have the support of local music fans – a survey conducted by council-run project organisers Bristol Nights found that 93 per cent of local people were in favour of the move.
Around that time, a startling report shared that UK venues were closing at a rate of around two per week, and Music Venue Trust had made the case in Westminster for a levy on tickets on gigs at arena size and above and for major labels and such to pay back into the grassroots scene, arguing that “the big companies are now going to have to answer for this”.
