Olympia London facts for kids
Exterior of Olympia Grand as seen from Kensington (Olympia) station
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| Former names | National Agricultural Hall |
|---|---|
| Location | West Kensington London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, W14 United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°29′47″N 0°12′35″W / 51.49639°N 0.20972°W |
| Public transit |    Kensington (Olympia) |
| Owner | Consortium including Yoo Capital, Deutsche Finance Group, Bayerische Versorgunskammer and Versicherungskammer Bayern Group |
| Capacity | 4,000–10,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 26 December 1886 |
| Renovated | 2013 |
| Expanded | 1923; 1929; 1987; 2011 |
| Architect | Henry Edward Coe; Holman and Goodrham; Joseph Emberton |
Olympia Events, also known as Olympia London, is a huge place in West Kensington, London, England. It's a big exhibition centre, event space, and conference centre. Many different types of international shows, meetings, and sports events happen here.
There is a train station right next to Olympia called Kensington (Olympia) station. It's a London Overground station and a London Underground station. This makes it easy for visitors to get to the venue.
Contents
About Olympia London
Olympia first opened its doors in 1886. It was designed to be a very large indoor space for all sorts of events. This included exhibitions, tournaments, sports, and entertainment.
The main parts, the Grand Hall and Pillar Hall, were finished in 1885. Later, more halls were added to make it even bigger. The National Hall was built in 1923, and the Empire Hall was added in 1930.
In 2012, Olympia celebrated 125 years of hosting events. They asked famous British artists to create special artworks to mark the occasion. In 2013, a big £40 million project was finished to make the venue even better.
Since May 2021, Olympia has been undergoing a major update. This includes building new parts and fixing up the old, historic areas.
History of the Venue
Olympia was first planned in the early 1880s. It was going to be called the National Agricultural Hall. The idea was to create a much bigger version of another hall in London.
The goal was to host large shows, like military events, that needed more space. They also wanted a place that was easy to reach by train from all over London and the rest of the country.
The chosen spot was an old market garden in West Kensington. It was right next to Addison Road station, which was already a busy train station. This station became a very important way for people to travel to Olympia.
Even before it opened, the building was called Olympia. This was because its purpose quickly grew beyond just agricultural or military shows. It became the biggest venue of its kind in England at the time. It followed the idea of large exhibition halls that became popular after the Great Exhibition in 1851.
Buildings at Olympia
The Olympia Exhibition Centre is made up of several large buildings:
- The Grand Hall: This was the original National Agricultural Hall.
- The Pillar Hall: This was also built in 1885. Both the Grand Hall and Pillar Hall have an Italianate style.
- Olympia National: This part was added in 1923.
- Olympia Central: This building was finished in 1929. It used to be called the Empire Hall. Olympia Central is very well known because it faces a public road, Hammersmith Road. It has a large Olympia sign on its outside.
In 2003, the Grand Hall and Pillar Hall were given special historic status. This means they are protected because of their history and architectural beauty. Olympia Central, a large concrete building, also had its unique front part listed as historic.
Since May 2021, parts of Olympia have been updated as part of a big redevelopment project. The goal is to create a mixed-use complex. This means it will have exhibition spaces, but also other things like a new theatre with 1,575 seats. This new theatre will be the biggest in London since 1976.
The plans also include new hotels, rehearsal spaces, cinemas, a music venue for 4,000 people, shops, restaurants, and public areas. All these new developments are happening within the same area as the historic event spaces.
Popular Events Held at Olympia
Olympia has hosted many famous events over the years. Here are some of them:
- The BBC Good Food Show
- The Olympia Events International Horse Show
- The London Chess Classic
- Pure London (a fashion trade show)
- Spirit of Christmas (a Christmas shopping event)
- International Art & Antiques Fair
- Marketing Week Live
- Great British Beer Festival
- Salon du Chocolat (a chocolate show)
- UCAS Design Your Future (a university and careers fair)
- National Wedding Show
- Toy Fair (a toy industry show)
Some other notable events include:
- The British International Motor Show was held here every year from 1905 to 1936.
- The 1st World Scout Jamboree took place at Olympia in 1920.
- Many famous bands have played concerts here, including The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967), Status Quo (1975), Procol Harum (1976), Bad Company (1977), Rod Stewart (1977), The Cure (1992), Fairuz (1994), Chemical Brothers (2008), Bloc Party (2009), and Primal Scream (2010).
- The Smash Hits Awards were held at Olympia in 1992.
- The 3rd Mind Sports Olympiad took place here in 1999.
- The Miss World pageant was held in 1999.
- MOVE IT, an annual dance event, started at Olympia in 2005.
- The Doctor Who Experience was held here in 2012.
- The finals of the TV show Got to Dance were aired live from Olympia in 2012 and 2013.
- The first Hatsune Miku concert in the UK, Miku Expo 2018 Europe, was held in 2018.
- RuPaul's DragCon UK, a show about drag culture, was held in 2020.
- Foals played several concerts here in 2022 as part of their Life Is Yours Tour.
Religious Gatherings
Olympia Hall has also been used for important religious events.
- The Aga Khan's UK Padhramni (a special visit) took place at Olympia from September 1 to 7, 1979. The hall was decorated for prayer with red and green fabrics and the Imamat crest made with fresh flowers.
- The Aga Khan's silver jubilee visit to the UK was held at Olympia on July 5, 1983. Members of the Imamat family also attended this special gathering.
See also
In Spanish: Olympia de Londres para niños
