AEG Presents UK Announces Stellar Lineup for London’s Most Anticipated New Venue
Self Esteem to Perform for British Airways ARC Opening
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 exhibition hall in Olympia, a site 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 night 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.
Tickets for all these shows will go on sale on Friday 27th March at 10am and can be purchased by going to britishairwaysarc.co.uk. Pre-sales are:
AMEX CARDMEMBERS PRE-SALE: Wednesday 25th March – 10am
ARTIST PRE-SALE: Various. Wednesday 25th March and Thursday 26th March
BRITISH AIRWAYS ARC VENUE PRE-SALES: Thursday 26th March - sign up for access at britishairwaysarc.co.uk
The world class venue is part of the £1.3 billion transformation of the iconic Olympia, London, which in addition to British Airways ARC will feature a 1,575-seat theatre, 30 bars, restaurants and eateries, 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.
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 21 years since McFly first formed, a journey which has taken them from their breakthrough hit Five Colours In Her Hair to last year’s full-force rock album Power To Play. Along the way Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd have scored seven #1 singles, seven Top 10 albums, 10 million sales leading to multiple Platinum certifications McFly have continued to push boundaries, last year’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
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.
Built as an events and exhibitions venue almost 140 years ago, the site 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.
AXS, a globally recognised leader in the ticketing industry will be the ticketing partner for the new venue.
To find out more about the new venue sign up via email at britishairwaysarc.co.uk and follow British Airways ARC at @britishairwaysarc on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
ABOUT AEG PRESENTS
Combining the power of the live event with a focus on true artist development, AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industries. Operating across five continents, the company has an unparalleled commitment to artistry, creativity, and community. Its tentpole festivals and multi-day music events — which include the iconic Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and the legendary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival alongside British Summer Time at Hyde Park, Stagecoach, Electric Forest, Rock En Seine and All Points East — continue to set the bar for the live music experience. AEG Presents promotes global tours for artists such as Justin Bieber, Zach Bryan, Sabrina Carpenter, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Celine Dion, Elton John, Carin León, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and Tyler, The Creator, in addition to — through its network of clubs, theatres, arenas, stadiums and renowned partner brands such as The Bowery Presents, Cárdenas Marketing Network, Concerts West, Frontier Touring, Goldenvoice, Marshall Arts, MCT Agentur, Messina Touring Group, PromoWest Productions, and Zero Mile Presents — creating and developing an unmatched infrastructure for artist development and audience reach. More information can be found at www.aegpresents.com.
ABOUT BRITISH AIRWAYS
As a global airline and the UK’s flag carrier, British Airways has been flying its customers to where they need to be for more than 100 years. The airline connects Britain with the world and the world with Britain, operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks together with its joint business, codeshare and franchise partners.
Together with its affiliates, British Airways operates to around 200 destinations in over 74 countries throughout Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
In September 2021, British Airways launched its sustainability programme, BA Better World, committing to put sustainability at the heart of everything
ABOUT OLYMPIA
Olympia is one of London’s most ambitious regeneration projects. With new venues launching from the second half of 2025 and throughout 2026 and 2027, the £1.3 billion transformation will turn Olympia into a showcase for the remarkable and the extraordinary.
The transformed destination will include British Airways ARC, a new 3,800-capacity live music venue managed by AEG Presents; the British Airways Theatre, London’s largest purpose-built theatre in almost 50 years, managed by Trafalgar Entertainment and The Shubert Organization; two hotels operated by citizenM Hotels and Hyatt Regency; a host of new places to eat and drink; Wetherby Pembridge, a new co-educational senior school which opened its doors in September 2025; a boutique gym by 1Rebel, 550,000 sq ft of offices boasting some of the largest terraces in London, as well as new public spaces for visitors to enjoy. Olympia’s historic event halls, its new International Convention Centre and its new premium lounge, The Addison, will be operated by Olympia Events.
Olympia is being developed by Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International and co-designed by Heatherwick Studio and SPPARC. The transformed destination will be operated by Olympia Estates.
Stay tuned for future announcements at www.olympia.co.uk
ABOUT AXS
As a global leader in ticketing, AXS powers access to the world’s most iconic venues, sports teams, festivals and global tours. With custom ticketing capabilities, innovative technology and white glove client service, AXS is the ticketing partner of choice for 1,600+ of the most sought-after and recognizable brands in sports and entertainment including the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, The O2, BNP Paribas Open, WM Phoenix Open and Stagecoach Country Music Festival. AXS’ primary and secondary ticket marketplace and proprietary AXS Mobile ID technology make it the easiest and most reliable destination for buying and managing tickets.
