AEG Presents has revealed today the first wave of artists performing at London’s most anticipated new venue – British Airways ARC. The 3,800-capacity state-of-the-art, purpose-built live music and events venue is aptly located above the existing West Hall in Olympia, a destination steeped in musical history.
The first wave of artists performing at British Airways ARC are some of the biggest and most exciting around across multiple genres. SELF ESTEEM will perform two nights including the historic opening on Tuesday June 16th followed by MCFLY and ZAC BROWN BAND with KHALID coming to the venue in the Autumn. The venue has also formed a programming partnership with the prestigious EFG LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL beginning with BRANFORD MARSALIS AND DIANNE REEVES CELEBRATE JOHN COLTRANE.
The world class venue is part of the £1.3 billion transformation of London’s iconic Olympia, London, which in addition to British Airways ARC will feature a 1,575-seat theatre, a host of new bars and restaurants, 2 hotels and 550,000 sq ft of office space. The whole development will become a must visit destination, creating a vibrant cultural hub where music, nightlife and dining all meet in one place.
British Airways ARC is the first venue of its size to be built in London from the ground up in over a decade, demonstrating AEG’s long-term investment in UK live music. Visitors will be able to enjoy the very best audio and all round customer service in this artist and fan first designed building. By employing cutting edge technical innovation, British Airways ARC will deliver an unparalleled live event experience.
We are very proud of our newest venue and to have this line up of the first incredible artists set to play is a fantastic way to begin the British Airways ARC story. When fans come to see shows at British Airways ARC they are going to be able to enjoy world class facilities across everything from sound to seating and we really can’t wait to open the doors – Lucy Noble, Senior Vice President UK Venues
Here’s your first look at the inaugural lineup, with more to come soon:
Self Esteem: 16th (opening night) and 17th June
SELF ESTEEM AKA Rebecca Lucy Taylor is one of the UK’s most exciting breakout stars of the past decade. Emerging from cult favourite to mainstream hero in the space of five whirlwind years, she enters 2026 as a bona fide triple threat in music, literature and acting and recipient of an Ivor Novello Visionary Award. 2025 saw the release of her hugely acclaimed third album and debut book, both titled A Complicated Woman and both containing all Taylor’s unmistakable thumbprints – complex thought processes unfolding in real time, an effortless knack of exposing the feelings women are required to labour under.
McFly: 18th June
It’s been 23 years since MCFLY first formed, a journey which has taken them from their breakthrough hit Five Colours In Her Hair to last year’s massive UK tour with Busted, the biggest arena tour of 2025. Along the way Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd have scored seven #1 singles, seven Top 10 albums, over 10 million sales leading to multiple Platinum certifications. McFLY have continued to push boundaries, 2023’s ‘Power To Play’ was the album they always wanted to make – a larger-than-life rush of hard rock and pop-punk thrills.
Zac Brown Band: 25th June
ZAC BROWN BAND is a multi-platinum, GRAMMY® Award-winning Southern rock group led by frontman Zac Brown. Throughout their career spanning more than a decade, the band has had six consecutive albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard 200 and five consecutive albums debut at #1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. To date, they’ve won three GRAMMY® Awards (including Best New Artist in 2010), sold more than 30+ million singles and 11+ million albums, amassed over 11+ billion catalog streams, and achieved 16 #1 radio singles – becoming only the second act to top both the Country and Active Rock formats.
Khalid: 24th October
Multi-platinum selling global superstar KHALID, who was named one of TIME’s Most Influential People of 2019, has taken the world by storm since his first single, the RIAA-certified diamond “Location” exploded onto the scene. The release of his debut American Teen was the certified 4x platinum. His sophomore album Free Spirit, released to critical acclaim in 2019 has been certified 2x platinum, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and features the GRAMMY-nominated multi-format #1 single “Talk”. Khalid has been streamed globally over 35.6 billion times across all partners. In October 2025, Khalid released his most recent album After The Sun Goes Down, a 17-track blend of smooth R&B fused with electro-pop, and 80s-inspired synths.
Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves Celebrate John Coltrane: 21st November
September 2026 marks the centennial of John Coltrane’s birth. To honour the enduring legacy of one of jazz’s most transcendent voices, the BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET AND DIANNE REEVES will release a tribute album which revisits Coltrane’s seminal 1963 collaboration with Johnny Hartman. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music. Five-time Grammy winner Dianne Reeves is the world’s pre-eminent jazz vocalist
Built as an events and exhibitions venue 140 years ago, the destination hosted some of the most iconic artists in music, including Jimi Hendrix, Rod Stewart, Primal Scream, The Cure and The Chemical Brothers, among many others. British Airways ARC honours that heritage and will bring incredible live music and events back to this part of the capital.
British Airways ARC marks the continued growth of AEG Presents’ mid-sized venue portfolio of venues which includes University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, Watford Colosseum, indigo at The O2 and Eventim Apollo.
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