Image: Unsplash, Justin Clark
Capture the perfect shot for your feed at the UK’s most Instagram-worthy venues for live music and sports events.
When it comes to Instagrammable places, dreamy beaches, city skylines and colourful streets top the list. But what if we told you live event venues could prove to be just as photogenic?
Some of the UK's top music venues make for a killer Instagram post, to impress your friends.
Read on and discover the UK's most picture-perfect live event venues, and capture the shot your feed needs.
Utilita Arena Birmingham
From one indoor record holder to another, Utilita Arena Birmingham enlisted Olympian Linford Christie to open its doors as the UK's largest indoor venue in 1991. The arena was quickly renowned for its entertainment events, despite the intention for it to be a sports venue.
By 2014, Arena Birmingham had undergone an extensive renovation, which included a stunning canal-side showpiece entrance made up of three “sky needle” light sculptures.
Although Arena Birmingham has slipped to the UK’s third-largest indoor venue, it hosts incredible live shows from worldwide artists, such as Linkin Park, Tina Turner and Paul McCartney.
The lighting shows are vibrant and awe-worthy, the arena sits on the Birmingham Canal Old Line; with admiring views of quaint canal boats and pretty flower beds, it’s one of most Instagrammable spots in the UK!
BT Murrayfield
BT Murrayfield is the largest stadium in Scotland and the 5th largest in the UK. It is naturally, the home of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Located in Edinburgh with a 67,114 capacity, the venue is primarily used for rugby union and hosts most of Scotland’s home test matches, as well as European Rugby Champions Cup matches.
The stadium has also hosted American football, rugby league, association football matches and music concerts. The Spice Girls recently bought their 20-year anniversary to the stadium.
The Principality Stadium
The Principality Stadium aka the national stadium of Wales and the home of the Wales national rugby union team, was built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup. It has since gone on to host major sporting and music events.
Principality the 4th largest stadium in the UK and is only the second stadium in Europe to have a retractable roof. The seated capacity is 75,400, and the record capacity is 78,000 at the Anthony Joshua vs Carlos Takam fight on October 2017 in which Joshua retained his WBA, IBF and IBO titles.
In 2023, indie rock icons Coldplay will be bringing their 'Music of the Spheres' world tour to Cardiff. It is expected to be quite the spectacle, with amazing light shows and fantastic acoustics.
O2 Academy Brixton
#TheRockOrchestra brought the biggest rock and metal songs of all time to London, all performed in stunning candlelit surroundings 🕯️
— O2 Academy Brixton (@O2AcademyBrix) October 24, 2022
Jimmy Gough for @academyamg (𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯)
O2 Academy Brixton - Friday 14 October 2022 pic.twitter.com/gRWz6FOqKW
The O2 Academy Brixton was originally an old cinema but was converted into a concert hall in 1983. It is regarded as one of London's best music venues, winning the NME Best Venue Award 12 times since 1994.
The venue is breath-taking, mixing modern music with old school architecture. It has hosted many notable concerts over the years, such as Madonna in 2000, that was watched by an online audience of 9 million and Leftfield in 1996, that set a new live gig decibel record (137db).
Tottenham Hotspur Football Stadium
Tottenham Hotspur’s £1bn stadium built in 2019, is one of the largest in the Premier League, with a capacity of 62,850. The multipurpose stadium features the world’s first-ever dividing, retractable football pitch. When retracted, the pitch shows a synthetic turf pitch which is used for NFL London games and concerts.
According to Tech Radar, Tottenham’s home ground is the ‘most tech-friendly yet’; it has nearly a thousand square feet of video screens around the stadium, and is a completely cashless stadium. It is also the best connected yet - and 5G ready - so there will be ample opportunity to get a winning shot of those famous ‘To dare is to do’ seats.
Since its opening, the stadium has played host to artists such as Lady Gaga and Guns 'N' Roses. The beautiful light shows, and the aesthetic design of the stadium makes for an unmissable photo opportunity.
Twickenham Stadium
London’s Twickenham Stadium is the second largest in the UK, it is owned by the governing body of rugby union in England.
It hosts test matches for the England national rugby team, as well as England’s home Six Nations matches. The RFU HQ is also located there. Twickenham also hosts concerts and the likes of Rihanna, Genesis and Beyonce, The Rolling Stones have performed there.
The World Rugby Museum is located in Twickenham Stadium. The museum covers the whole global game not just England. Some unique displays feature England rugby union jersey from the first ever rugby union international in 1871 between England and Scotland and until the William Webb Ellis Cup which was obtained by England at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
In 2010, the RFU unveiled the iconic bronze rugby line-out by sculptor Gerald Laing. The 27ft tall sculpture welcomes fans from its spot on the south stand piazza. Engraved around the statue are the five core values of rugby union - teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship.
Blenheim Palace
Oxfordshire’s enchanting Blenheim Palace hosts a number of music, sports and cultural events. It also acts as a unique filming location, having provided a stunning backdrop for films including ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’, ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ and ‘Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation’.
Built in the 1700s, the country house’s English Baroque architecture and 200 acres of parkland is perfect for snapping. It’s also the birthplace of Winston Churchill is now home to the 12th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.
It’s not only a place of iconic history it hosts music events. Nocturne Live is held in June and invites a selection of worldwide artists to perform in front of a beautiful backdrop. These include Kylie Minogue, Tears for Fears, Ms Lauryn Hill and Gladys Knight.
London Stadium
London Stadium FKA Olympic Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in the Stratford district of London. It was constructed for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. Following the games, the stadium was subsequently renovated as a multipurpose stadium and now serves as primarily as the home of West Ham.
The stadium has also hosted several 2015 Rugby World Cup games and can hold concerts of up to 80,000 spectators. It’s surrounded by award-winning parklands, peaceful waterways, adventurous playgrounds and beautiful fountains. Plus, you can ride or admire the view of the slide at the ArcelorMittal Orbit.
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall hosts hundreds of shows every year and has seen many world-famous artists grace its stage. The Royal Albert Hall Stars celebrates these artists by honouring them with a brass star and engravings outside the building.
One of The Royal Albert Hall's photogenic features is its mosaic frieze that encircles the building. It measures 800 feet long and 5,200 square feet and is formed of foot-long slabs of mosaic tesserae depicting the advancement of the Arts and Sciences of all nations.
Lord's Cricket Ground
Home of Cricket, Lord’s stadium famous Pavilion with its Long Room [pictured] is a historic landmark, and a Grade II listed building. One of its most distinctive features is the significant slope across the field, as well as the pair of ornamental gates named in honour of W.G. Grace.
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