O2 Academy Liverpool

The O2 Academy Liverpool (formerly the L2 and Carling Academy Liverpool) is a music venue in Hotham Street, Liverpool, England, that is run by the Academy Music Group. The building is a 19th-century warehouse that was converted into a music venue in 2000. It closed in 2002 and then reopened after refurbishment in September 2003. The main building consists of performance areas. O2 Academy1 can hold 1,200 (900-floor/300 balcony) people while O2 Academy2 can hold 500. There are also 5 bars in the building which cater for the visitors who come to see shows (two in O2 Academy2 and three in O2Academy1. On 6 November 2008 it was announced that Telefónica Europe (owners of the O2 Network in the UK) had become the new sponsor of all Academy venues, in a deal with music promoter Live Nation Entertainment. The deal, which lasts for five years, sees all venues rebranded "The O2 Academy", in line with Telefónica's purchase of naming rights to the Millennium Dome (now The O2).