AnimeCon

In 1886, the National Agricultural Hall opened with the aim of creating the UK’s largest covered show centre. Its name changed quickly and renamed Olympia later that same year. The building was built using a 1200 tonne frame made of iron and 2500 sheets of quarter-inch-thick glass.

In 1886/7 the first event to be held at the freshly named Olympia was the Hippodrome Circus. This show was closely followed by ‘An Exhibition of Sporting Dogs’ by the infamous Mr Charles Cruft alongside other equestrian and sporting events.

June 4th 1888 saw the Irish Exhibition open, showcasing an insight into Irish life, work and industry. In 1889, Phineas T.Barnum’s ‘Greatest Show on Earth’ arrived in London, and the Olympia was the chosen location.

In 1908 Olympia saw the very first Ideal Home show!

In the 195o’s annual events became popular with food, hotel and catering exhibitions as well as the 1953 Motor Show which was hugely popular so much so the police asked the exhibitors to open the doors early as the queues of visitors was so long! Jimmi Hendrix and a little-known band called The Pink Floyd also performed in the 1960s as well as the continuation of Crufts dog show.

In 2013, Olympia was completely renovated during a massive £30m redevelopment resulting Olympia Central and Olympia Conference Centre. The company also rebranded as Olympia London. 

In 2017 Olympia London was acquired by a consortium of investors, headed by Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance. The venue’s history and original purpose offered inspiration for their vision of the space will watch Olympia London transform into a world-leading events entertainment, arts and experiential district; to be marvelled over for the next 130 years and beyond.