Swansea Arena welcomes close to 240,000 visitors in first year

Developed by Swansea Council and run by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the arena sits at the heart of the city’s £135m Copr Bay district that also includes a coastal park, the new bridge over Oystermouth Road and many other features.

Following a series of test events at the arena, comedian John Bishop was the first star to take to the stage at the new venue on March 15 last year.

He’s been followed by many other major performances, including Jersey Boys, Alice Cooper and The Cult, Katherine Ryan, Royal Blood, Michael McIntyre and Bat Out of Hell.

Performances taking place in the coming months at the arena include Billy Ocean, The Hollywood Vampires and The Proclaimers.

The arena has also hosted more than 80 conferences, seminars and corporate events over the last 12 months, including university graduation ceremonies. The Swansea City Centre Conference 2023 is being held in the arena for the second consecutive year on Wednesday March 29.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Investment and Tourism, said: “It’s hard to believe that a year has now passed since the arena first opened to the public, but what a fantastic success the venue has been.

“Adding to the offer of the other cultural venues in the city like The Grand Theatre and the Brangwyn Hall, the arena has brought world-class entertainment of all genres to Swansea and South Wales as a whole, while also creating many job opportunities for local people and boosting other local businesses thanks to partnership and sponsoring agreements.

“The arena is part of the overall Copr Bay district which is helping revitalise our city centre, generate better links with the waterfront and create spaces for local businesses to set-up or expand.”

The arena element of the Copr Bay district is being part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal.

Lisa Mart, Swansea Arena’s Venue Director, said: “We’ve welcomed almost 240,000 people to the venue, and laughed, sung and cried alongside them all the way. We’re all really pleased with the events we have hosted so far and really can’t wait to keep building and improving our offer.

“We’ve a fresh slate of exciting developments to focus on over the next few months – our venue coffee shop has relaunched, and we’ve a brand new lounge and hospitality offer in partnership with Gower Brewery.

“I want to extend a huge thanks to everyone for your continued support over this past year, and we cannot wait to continue bringing live entertainment and engaging events to this amazing city.”

Other Swansea Arena partnerships with local institutions and businesses include the University Of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea City FC, Swansea University, The LC, Founders & Co, Rasoi, Delta By Marriott, Morgans Hotel, The Swigg and many others.