The O2 Academy Bournemouth is one of the leading performance venues in the city. It has a focus on live music but also hosts other kinds of events. Come here in the evening to take in a show in beautiful surroundings, in the grand main space of a historic Grade II-listed building.
The building that now houses the O2 Academy Bournemouth started out life as a theater. Work began on the building in 1894 and the venue opened its doors to the public for the first time in 1895. At that time it was known as The Grand Theatre and Pavilion. Stand in the spectacular interior space and imagine what it would have looked like in those early days, when everyone from circus acts to stars of silent film performed here.
Over the following decades, the building was reinvented as the Boscombe Grand Theatre Music Hall, the Boscombe Hippodrome (also a music hall), Royal Arcade Ballrooms, Tiffany’s Disco, The Academy and the Opera House. It has spent time as an award-winning nightclub and a performance venue of all kinds. Visit it today to get a sense of the strong musical roots that have shaped this building from the start.
Since 2006, the building has been the O2 Academy. It has hosted some of the biggest names in music, with previous acts including the likes of Florence and the Machine, Queens of the Stone Age, Rita Ora and Jessie J, among many others. The venue is also an atmospheric space for club nights, and sometimes hosts sports events too. Check what is on before you visit, and book tickets well in advance.
Get the bus from central Bournemouth to Boscombe to reach the O2 Academy Bournemouth within around 20 minutes. Alternatively, choose to make the journey on foot, taking the scenic route along the coast. This will take you around 40 minutes or so.
