Location Plymouth, England Opened 1991 | Owner Plymouth City Council | |
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Capacity Concerts: 4,000
Conferences: 2,500
Basketball: 1,480 | ||
Plymouth Pavilions is an entertainment and sports complex in Plymouth, Devon, England. It has an ice rink, Live Café and arena. The arena is used for corporate hire and as an entertainment venue.
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The Pavilions is built on the site of the former Millbay railway station that is directly opposite the Duke of Cornwall Hotel. The granite pillars which can be seen outside the main entrance were once the gate posts to the station.
Shows and concerts
The fastest selling show at Pavilions, was The Arctic Monkeys, selling out in one hour in 2006. In 2012 that record was matched by Gary Barlow, selling out in just under one hour.
Ice Skate Rink
Plymouth Pavilions is one of the only indoor centres with an actual ice rink in Devon. They host under 18 nights on the rink, family sessions and even entertainment on the ice rink.
Plymouth Pavilions was also the home of a family fun indoor swimming pool; however early 2012 the swimming pool was shut down and a pool has been opened at the nearby Plymouth Life Centre in Central Park.
Basketball
The arena is home to the Plymouth Raiders professional basketball team, who compete in the elite British Basketball League. The Raiders have one of the biggest fan bases in British basketball, and games are often played in front of sell-out crowds of up to 1,480 people. The arena has been home to the Raiders since 1996, when the team moved in from the nearby Mayflower Centre looking for a bigger venue to play at.
The venue is one of the most unusual looking basketball arenas in the country, with one large two-tiered stand and a smaller temporary stand situated on the events stage. It is known for its off-court entertainment including laser light shows and pyrotechnics, but the actual playing court is deemed by many fans to be unsuitable for top level competition, despite hosting several England national team matches in 1997.
Premier League Darts
From 2005 to 2008, the arena was part of the Premier League Darts event for the PDC.
Other sporting events
On April 1, 2016, it was announced by the WWE that the arena would host a date for the upcoming WWE NXT UK tour in June.