The O2 Arena at Peninsula Square, Greenwich (not Canada Place) is one of London’s most famous venues — but I think you might be mixing two things:

• The O2 Arena (London, UK) – A large indoor arena within the entertainment district known as The O2, located on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London.

• Canada Place (Vancouver, Canada) – A landmark convention center and cruise terminal in Vancouver, not directly related to The O2.

Here’s a short history of The O2 Arena (London):

Origins

• Built as the Millennium Dome for the year 2000 celebrations. It was originally a massive exhibition space created to house the Millennium Experience, a year-long festival celebrating the new millennium.

• Designed by architect Richard Rogers, the Dome became one of the largest structures of its kind in the world.

Transformation into The O2

• After the Millennium Exhibition closed (2000), the Dome sat mostly unused until 2005, when AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) redeveloped it into a world-class entertainment complex.

• Reopened in 2007 as The O2 Arena, it became the centerpiece of the site, with a seating capacity of around 20,000, making it the UK’s biggest indoor venue.

Modern Use

• Hosts concerts, sports, and major events including the ATP tennis finals (2009–2020), NBA and NHL games, UFC, and countless global music tours.

• Regularly ranked among the busiest music arenas in the world.

👉 If you were asking about Canada Place (Vancouver), that’s a different story — it was built for Expo 86 and now serves as a convention center, hotel, and cruise ship terminal.

Here are some vivid images of the London O₂ Arena—captured from different angles and lighting, showcasing its iconic dome structure, both daytime and nighttime scenes.
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London O₂ Arena – History & Highlights
The O₂ Arena sits within the former Millennium Dome, a massive exhibition venue built to celebrate the year 2000. Completed on 22 June 1999, it originally hosted the Millennium Experience, which closed at the end of that year Wikipedia.
In 2001, the site was leased for redevelopment into a world-class entertainment complex. Construction of the new indoor arena began in 2003 and was completed in 2007 Wikipedia. Ingeniously, the arena’s roof was built on the ground inside the dome and only lifted into place—an impressive engineering solution to bypass limitations inside the existing structure Wikipedia.
The O₂ opened to the public on 24 June 2007, with Bon Jovi as its inaugural performer Wikipedia. In its first full year, 2008, it became the world’s busiest arena—surpassing Manchester’s MEN Arena WikipediaBusiness Insider. Since then, it has hosted over 3,000 events, sold more than 30 million tickets, and in recent years continues to push records—selling 2.5 million tickets in one year Business Insider.
Before redevelopment, the site had been a contaminated gasworks area. Over the past 25 years, the O₂’s transformation has sparked one of London’s largest regeneration projects—now featuring 17,500 homes, creative spaces, and cultural installations in the surrounding Greenwich Peninsula The Times.
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Canada Place (Vancouver, Canada)
(Note: No image carousel—images above are London O₂; for Canada Place visuals, you may wish to search separately.)
History & Role
• Origins: Canada Place stands on the site of the former Canadian Pacific Railway’s Pier B–C, established in 1927 to handle trans-Pacific ocean liners and freight traffic Vancouver Heritage Foundationcanadaplace.ca.
• Expo 86: In the lead-up to the 1986 World’s Fair in Vancouver, Canada Place was built as the Canada Pavilion, officially opened on May 2, 1986 by Prince Charles and Prime Minister Brian Mulroney canadaplace.ca604 Now. The pavilion drew over a million visitors during Expo 604 Now.
• Post-Expo Evolution: After Expo 86, the pavilion was converted into a convention centre, cruise terminal, hotel, and more—a legacy facility intended to serve the city long-term canadaplace.caWikipedia.
Architecture & Features
• Distinctive Roof: The structure’s signature is its five white, sail-like roofs, made from Teflon-coated fiberglass—a design that reflects maritime heritage and evokes the image of a docked ship amazingvanbc.comflyovercanada.com.
• Multi-Use Complex: Canada Place includes the Vancouver Convention Centre East, Pan Pacific Vancouver Hotel, FlyOver Canada virtual flight experience, the World Trade Centre Vancouver, and serves as a major cruise ship terminal for departures to Alaska—handling up to four ships simultaneously and nearly a million cruise passengers a year WikipediaHAL | VASamazingvanbc.comflyovercanada.com.
• Heritage Horns: A memorable daily feature—10 horns on the hotel roof play the first notes of “O Canada” at noon, reaching 115 decibels and audible across downtown. They also sounded during the 2010 Winter Olympics for each Canadian medal won Wikipedia+1604 Nowflyovercanada.com.
• Olympic Role: During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada Place was the Main Press Centre and International Broadcast Centre, hosting over 10,000 media personnel Wikipedia+1flyovercanada.com.
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Side-by-Side: London O₂ Arena vs. Canada Place
Feature London O₂ Arena (UK) Canada Place (Vancouver, Canada)
Origins Millennium Dome for 2000’s Millennium Experience Rebuilt Pier B–C as Expo 86’s Canada Pavilion
Opening to Public 24 June 2007 (as O₂) 2 May 1986
Architectural Identity Massive dome canopy with interior arena; innovative structural conversion Iconic sail-like structure along waterfront
Functions Concerts, sports, large-scale entertainment Cruise terminal, conventions, hotel, virtual attraction, trade
Iconic Features World’s busiest arena; urban regeneration symbol Heritage Horns; waterfront hub and Olympic media center