In a year which saw Milton Keynes awarded city status, 2022 also saw the resumption of a full events calendar for the first time in almost three years at Stadium MK.
The return of darts fans to the Marshall Arena started off the year with PDC Masters welcoming fans to watch darts in Milton Keynes once again. The first event in the darts calendar kicked off in January across three sold out nights.
In February, sports events continued in the Marshall Arena with the first of three snooker tournaments on the World Snooker Tour. The European Masters came to the arena before a brand-new event on the snooker calendar came, and conquered, the Marshall Arena, Stadium MK in Milton Keynes. The four best men in world snooker partnered up with the four highest ranking women in the game for the World Mixed Doubles championship a week before the British Open took place in the same venue.
May saw the return of concerts as My Chemical Romance continued their comeback tour across three sold-out shows at Stadium MK. Around 90,000 music fans were lucky enough to get their hands on tickets, but it was not the only concert at Stadium MK last summer. In June, Stadium MK hosted Imagine Dragons for their only UK show on the Mercury World Tour. Around 30,000 music fans enjoyed the exclusive performance live at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes.
Also in June, the Stadium MK grass did not only transform to a stage set for rock music but became a battlefield for three days of the toughest strongman competition in the world with the return of UK’s Strongest Man. The strongest men in the country lifted bikes, pushed cars and pulled lorries across the Stadium MK pitch.
In July, the Stadium MK pitch returned to ‘normality’ welcoming football back. Milton Keynes was at front and centre of the biggest women’s European sport event in history hosting four matches, including an all-important semi-final, in UEFA Women’s EURO 2022. A tournament which made history for English football.
And if 2022 was exciting, 2023 is set to see more amazing events.
Kicking things off this month, the annual darts season opener the PDC Masters returns from January 27 to 29 as the world’s top 24 stars battle it out across three days in the Marshall Arena. Joe Cullen claimed victory in 2022, while Jonny Clayton, Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen and James Wade, amongst other darts top stars, will line up in the Marshall Arena.
2023 will also see the return of international football to Stadium MK as the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 champions, England’s Lionesses come to Stadium MK for the Arnold Clark Cup 2023. Four of the world’s top 20 teams will be battling it out for the Arnold Clark Cup trophy as the tournament returns to England this February.
Defending champions and UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 winners England will be joined by Italy, Belgium and Korea Republic in the round-robin tournament. Each team will play as part of a double-header fixture at the 30,500 capacity Stadium MK in Milton Keynes on Thursday February 16.
Away from Stadium MK, concerts will be returning to The National Bowl with Muse performing as part of their Will of the People 2023 World Tour. The National Bowl has not seen live music in seven years, but the multi-platinum and Grammy award winning rock band will get the stadium rocking again.
Widely recognised as one of the best live bands in the world, Muse have consistently produced exhilarating and ground-breaking shows, and their 2023 Will of the People World Tour will be no exception. The historic venue will see the multi award winning rock band play on Sunday June 25.
2022 was an incredible year which saw the return of many events to Stadium MK’s spaces. 2023 is set to continue that trend with even bigger events planned for the upcoming year. It’s certainly a year not to be missed.
