Earls Court Exhibition Centre
Earls Court Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre, conference and event venue in London, United Kingdom. It is located within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is the largest such venue in central London.
It is served by two London Underground stations, Earl's Court and West Brompton, opposite its entrances on Warwick Road and Old Brompton Road.
Earls Court and the nearby Olympia are operated by EC&O Venues. It is widely known for hosting the Brit Awards for ten years from 2000 to 2010 and a number of other well-publicised events, and was used as a venue for the 2012 Olympic Games.
A cycle of grand opera began at Earls Court in 1988 with Aida. Harvey Goldsmith's courageous and visionary gamble caused The Times to reflect that it made the Royal Albert Hall look like a studio theatre. The audience loved it and Goldsmith returned the following year with a production of Carmen and the Aida again in 1998.
The Brit Awards were first held at Earls Court in 1997, and then from 2000 to 2010. The awards show moved to the O2 Arena in 2011. The venue is still one of the most popular arenas to play in the UK, with a capacity of around 19,000, including standing room, meaning it is often chosen over venues such as Wembley Arena by bands with a large fan base.
Earls Court hosted the volleyball competitions during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Earls Court hosted events at the 1948 Summer Olympics, and the volleyball events of the 2012 Summer Olympics from 28 July to 12 August.
Neighbourhood | Kensington and Chelsea (LONDON) |
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Price | |
Geographical coordinates | 51.4893463, -0.1970452 |
Address | City of London, Warwick Road |
Opening date | 1937 |
More information | official website |