Aviva Arena Preview Highlights Transformation of Historic Brabazon Hangars Into Major Live Events Destination

Aviva Arena Preview Highlights Transformation of Historic Brabazon Hangars Into Major Live Events Destination

(IN BRIEF) Aviva has released a stop-motion film giving audiences an early look at the future Aviva Arena in Bristol, a 20,000-capacity live entertainment venue expected to open in late 2028. The film uses a hand-crafted scale model made in Bristol to preview the arena’s interior and surrounding areas. Named by operator YTL Live in February 2026, Aviva Arena will transform the historic Brabazon Hangars, birthplace of the UK’s Concorde supersonic jets, into a major entertainment destination for the South West of England. The venue is expected to host more than 120 major events each year and welcome over 1.4 million visitors annually. The arena will join Aviva Stadium in Dublin and Aviva Studios in Manchester as part of Aviva’s portfolio of cultural, sporting and live experience venues. The stop-motion film was produced by Scale Model Studios, using 24 frames per second and more than 60 hours of animation.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 9-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Aviva has released a stop-motion film offering an early look at the future Aviva Arena, the 20,000-capacity live entertainment venue planned for Bristol’s historic Brabazon Hangars.

The film uses a hand-crafted scale model made in Bristol to showcase the planned arena interior and surrounding areas, giving audiences a visual preview of the landmark destination before its expected opening in late 2028.

Aviva Arena was named in February 2026 by YTL Live, the venue’s operating company. Once open, it is expected to host more than 120 major events each year, welcome over 1.4 million visitors annually and create a new home for large-scale music, sport, entertainment and live experiences in the South West of England.

The arena will transform the Brabazon Hangars, known as the birthplace of all the UK’s Concorde supersonic jets, into a modern live entertainment destination. The project combines Bristol’s aviation heritage with the city’s creative identity and growing role as a cultural hub.

Aviva Arena will become the latest addition to Aviva’s portfolio of major venues, joining Aviva Stadium in Dublin and Aviva Studios in Manchester. Together, the venues strengthen Aviva’s presence across culture, sport and live experiences in the UK and Ireland.

Phoebe Barter, Group Brand Director at Aviva, said the film is intended to bring the venue to life well before opening and help people imagine the experiences it will host from late 2028.

“Through the magic of stop-motion film and a beautiful model crafted in Bristol, people can start to imagine the experiences it will deliver from late 2028 onwards — from iconic music and major sporting events to unforgettable shared moments that will define the venue for years to come,” said Barter.

Andrew Billingham, Chief Executive Officer of YTL Live, said Aviva Arena represents a major opportunity to create a world-class live entertainment destination for the South West of England.

“This film offers an exciting glimpse of what’s to come, helping people visualise the scale, ambition and energy of the venue years before the doors open,” said Billingham.

He added that the redevelopment of the Brabazon Hangars into a 20,000-capacity arena is already attracting attention and that the scale model presents the vision in a distinctive and engaging way.

“We’re proud to be working with Aviva to create a venue that will attract the biggest artists, sporting events and live experiences to the West of England, while celebrating Bristol’s remarkable heritage and creative spirit,” said Billingham.

The stop-motion film was produced by Scale Model Studios, a London-based production studio specialising in fabrication, animation and direction. The film was created using 24 individual frames for every second of footage, with more than 60 hours of animation work required.

About Scale Model Studios

Scale Model Studios is a full-service stop-motion production studio based in London. The studio has an in-house production pipeline covering model fabrication, animation and direction.

About YTL Live

YTL Live is the operating company behind a major upcoming entertainment complex in Bristol, which will include Aviva Arena as well as conference and exhibition space. The company also operates Spitfire Hangar, a recently opened community hub in Brabazon New Town.

YTL Live is being developed as a year-round entertainment destination designed to host global artists, major shows, events and visitor experiences.

Royalty Free Music used in the film: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music. License code: 9HFN3DGEDDZBS73J. Artist: Lunar Years.

Watch the Behind the Scenes: Building Aviva Arena Scale Model video.

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Media Contacts:

Joe Booth
Financial Communications
Phone: +44 (0)7800 698 836
Email: joe.booth@aviva.com

Sarah Swailes
Head of Financial Communications
Phone: +44 (0) 7800 694 276
Email: sarah.swailes@aviva.com

SOURCE: Aviva