First look inside Co-op Live - the £365m entertainment venue that will 'make Manchester the musical capital of Europe'

Co-op Live is currently under construction next to the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester - and is on track to be completed to host its first events in April next year. When it opens, it will be the ‘largest’ and ‘most sustainable’ indoor entertainment arena in the UK.

Today, a major construction milestone was celebrated, with guests stepping foot inside the landmark venue for the first time. As part of the ‘topping out’ ceremony - the final stage of roof construction - guests including partners, venue stakeholders, media, as well as the construction and subcontractor team, were invited to sign the final acoustically treated roof cassette, lifted into place to top out the structure, with their signatures becoming part of the permanent structure.

The 23,500-capacity arena on the banks of the Ashton Canal, is being built by BAM Construct UK and is being led by a joint venture between City Football Group and Los Angeles-based Oak View Group. Pop star Harry Styles was also announced as an investor in October 2020. The venue, which was originally slated to open in December this year, will host around 120 events a year, and feature 32 bars, restaurants and lounges, including locally sourced and sustainable food and drink.

Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

Led by a keynote welcome from joint-venture partner Oak View Group CEO, Tim Leiweke, the event also included speeches from City Football Group CEO, Ferran Soriano; naming-rights partner Co-op Director of Marketing Communications, Amanda Jennings; BAM Construct UK Executive Director, James Wimpenny; and Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.

“In the last decade, Manchester has slipped from a top three global