O2 Academy Sheffield: reopening and first gigs

Sheffield's most recognisable music room is finally coming back. The O2 Academy, at 37-43 Arundel Gate in the city centre, is set to reopen in February 2027 after more than three years of silence, and the first run of shows is already taking shape.

The building has been dark since September 2023, when it was forced to close over safety issues with the aerated autoclaved concrete in its roof. It is not a new name to the city, though: it first opened in 1968 as the Top Rank Suite, later became the Roxy Disco before being taken over by Academy Music Group and reopening in 2008 after a major refurbishment. In the years since, the large white cubic hall has hosted the likes of The Police, The Clash, Joy Division, David Bowie, The Jam, Kylie Minogue, Elbow, The Prodigy, Kasabian, Self Esteem, The Streets, Bring Me The Horizon, The Killers, Wolf Alice, Stormzy, Milburn and The Black Keys.

The reopening night lands on 27 February 2027 with Catseye, a tribute to the American girl group KATSEYE. From there the bill fills out quickly: Definitely Mightbe, the Oasis tribute, on 5 March; The Pineapple Thief on 6 March; Dinosaur Pile-Up on 25 March; Tom McGuire & The Brassholes on 17 April; and, much later in the year, BBC Radio 2 DJ Vernon Kay bringing Dance Sounds of the 90's to the room on 22 October.

There is a fair bit of work behind those dates. The venue has invested in a new roof, air conditioning and extensive works across the main hall and the O2 Academy2 service areas, and it has teamed up with Adlib to install a new L-Acoustics K3 sound system built with L-Acoustics and DiGiCo. Once the doors are back open, the room is not planning on sticking to gigs alone, with theatre, film screenings, indoor sports, boxing, wrestling and dance events all on the list. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays it will run until 6.30am, and until 4.30am on other nights.

A few things worth knowing before you book. The venue is all standing, both downstairs and upstairs, with a bar and snacks inside. There is no food, bottles, cans or alcohol allowed in, no smoking, and no cameras, video cameras or audio recording. Bag checks happen on arrival, and only one small bag per person is permitted, no bigger than A4 size, so rucksacks are out. The minimum age is eight unless you are with an adult and have written permission from venue management, under-14s must be accompanied, and clubs are strictly over-18s with photographic ID.

On the practical side, the box office sits on 0844 477 2000 and 0114 253 7777, open Monday to Saturday from midday to 4pm, with ticket collection available on the evening of the show once doors open, usually around 7pm and cash only. For accessibility there is ramp access, low-level service counters, induction loops at the box office and braille information sheets, and the disabled area can be booked through the box office manager on 0114 253 7782 between 10am and 6pm, Monday to Friday. Sheffield Station is the nearest rail stop, bus routes cover the city centre and taxis pull up outside, with the Arundel Gate and Blonk Street multi-storeys closest for parking.