It has officially been announced that the MTV Europe Music Awards will be taking place in Manchester, United Kingdom, at the new Co-op Live Arena on the 10th of November, 2024. The Co-op Live Arena will open on the 23rd of April, 2024 and upon said open, it will be ranked as the UK’s largest entertainment venue. So far, the details that have become public knowledge include that the capacity for the Co-op Live Arena is capped at 23, 500 people. The act opening the show will be Manchester’s local comedian Peter Kay, and other acts are still to be announced. There is clearly a lot of love and the feeling of British pride being poured into the venue as Harry Styles, who grew up 30 miles from the arena, is investing in the arena’s construction and is a fellow decision maker on its design aspects.
The event was formerly recognised as the MTV European Music Awards when it was first held on November 24th, 1994 to honour European artists who have made their mark on the pop culture scene. It first came to fruition as an alternative event to the United State’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), which stretches beyond Europe’s borders.
It is the first time this prestigious and globally renowned ceremony is taking place in Manchester and will be presented by Paramount International Networks. According to The Guardian, the leader of the Manchester city council, Bev Craig, has expressed his excitement: “With the expertise, experience and reputation we also have for delivering successful, world-class events, we’re confident Manchester will provide a superb platform for the best MTV EMAs yet.”
Manchester is not the only British venue to host the event. The locations in the UK that have been home to the ceremony in the past include: London, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Thus, this year is an exciting event for two reasons: Firstly, it has not been hosted in the UK for a total of seven years. Secondly, anticipation has been building since the ceremony was cancelled in 2023. It was set to be held in Paris but the show did not go on due to the Israel-Hamas conflict which continues to send ripples of devastation on an international scale. In the year prior (2022) it was hosted in Düsseldorf, Germany.
However, there has been controversy rising in regards to the details of the event as the clock ticks and the calendar counts down. ASM Global, the operator of AO Arena in Manchester; also referred to as the “enemy” of the soon to be functional Co-op Live Arena, is not being shy in sharing their (not so subtle) concerns about the arena’s operating licence. According to The Guardian, ASM are arguing in order to “safeguard public safety…” and to ensure “the prevention of public nuisance”. The chief operating officer of Oak View Group and owner of Co-op Live, Mark Donnelly, is reportedly “quite disappointed to see [ASM] are trying to put conditions on us when they operate with an unrestricted licence. We feel these are competition-based.”
On a lighter note, Manchester seems to be the perfect location, as music is in its DNA and is at the heart of its creative and vibrant city centre. It is the historical home of musical legends, such as New Order, The Stone Roses and Oasis. It is a prosperous and booming city, and will be even more so with the multi-million pound boost that this event is predicted to provide for it. It’s an exciting future ahead, especially on November 10th!
