Turn up at The O2 with a backpack and it will cost you 10 pounds.
Only bags of A4 size or smaller are allowed into the arena, one per person. Backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large tote bags are all refused, and anything bigger goes into the bag storage outside the main entrance at 10 pounds a bag.
There is one way round it, and it is free. American Express cardholders get complimentary bag drop through the Amex Cardmember lane. Same storage, no charge.
Parking: 29.39 if you book early, 40 if you turn up
Event parking at the arena is in Car Park 1 and the price depends entirely on when you book. The early bird rate is £29.39, available until three weeks before the event. After that it is £35.28 pre-booked, and £40 if you simply arrive and pay on the day. Pre-booking closes at midnight the night before, and runs through JustPark.
So the gap between the organised and the unorganised is a little over £10 a car. A minibus or coach is £59.35 pre-booked and £65 on the day.
Valet parking, for arena events only, is £75 pre-booked or £85 on the day. It opens two hours before doors, at the VIP entrance via Meridian Gate, and the car is ready when the show finishes.
If you are not going to an event, park somewhere else entirely
Car parks 2, 3 and 4 serve the Outlet, Cineworld and Up at The O2, on hourly tariffs: £7 for up to two hours, £11 to four, £15 to six, £17 to nine, £18 to twelve, £22 to fourteen, £28 to eighteen and £52 to twenty four. Car Park 2 is open 24 hours.
Two ways to pay nothing. Spend £35 or more at Outlet Shopping and you get four hours free in car parks 2, 3 and 4, by showing receipts at the Welcome Desk or the Parking Office in Car Park 1 before you leave. Cineworld customers get four hours free in car parks 2 and 3, taking the unpaid ticket and cinema stub to the parking office afterwards. Station car park tickets cannot be validated.
Blue Badge spaces are in every car park, provided the badge holder is in the car. There are BP Pulse electric charging points, and a free drop-off and pick-up point in Car Park 1 off Millennium Way.
One current warning from the venue: roadworks in the surrounding area are significantly affecting traffic, with long delays at peak times and particularly after events. The postcode for route planners is SE10 0DX.
The bag rules in full
Permitted: one bag per person, no larger than A4, or a standard handbag.
Refused: backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large tote bags.
One exception worth knowing: tote bags bought at the arena’s own merchandise outlets are allowed in, subject to search. So the shop can sell you a bag you are then permitted to carry, which is either good sense or good business depending on your mood.
Bag storage closes one hour after show down. If you are planning to stay for a drink afterwards, collect the bag first.
The student discounts, which are substantial
Show a student ID at the restaurants on site and the reductions are far beyond the usual ten per cent. Published at the time of checking:
Gordon Ramsay Street Burger: 30 per cent off the whole bill, all week. No day restriction, no event-day exclusion. That is the best of them by a distance.
Frankie and Benny’s: 30 per cent off. Haidilao Hotpot: 31 per cent off dishes under timing conditions. Busaba and Las Iguanas: 25 per cent. Cabana, Pizza Express and Scarlet Rasoi: 20 per cent.
Several carry non-event-day conditions, which is the catch: the discounts are at their best on the nights nothing is on in the arena.
The outlet shopping on site runs up to 70 per cent off recommended retail.
It is not only an arena
This is the thing people miss. The site holds a whole evening’s worth of venues that have nothing to do with whoever is playing.
Up at The O2 is the roof climb over the top of the tent.
indigo at The O2 is the small venue, for nights where the arena would be absurd.
And the rest: a Cineworld, a Hollywood Bowl, a Boom Battle Bar, Clip ‘n Climb, iFLY indoor skydiving, TOCA Social, Padel Social Club, Guinness World Records: London, a thrill coaster, and Mamma Mia! The Party.
Several of those are covered elsewhere on this site with their prices: bowling, axe throwing at the Boom Battle Bar, and padel.
So a night at The O2 with no ticket to anything is a real option, and on a non-event night the student discounts are at their best.
Getting there, including the two good ways
North Greenwich is the tube station and the obvious route.
Two better ones on a clear evening. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers stops here, and takes Oyster and contactless like a bus, which makes the river the same price as the Underground with a considerably better view. The IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the Thames to the site.
Buses and parking are available, and there is an international coach option.
The Safe Space
The venue runs a scheme it calls The Safe Space, listed alongside security and accessibility in its visitor information. Worth knowing it exists before a night out rather than during one.
How to plan it
Travel light. A4 or a handbag, or budget 10 pounds.
Carrying an Amex: use the Cardmember lane and the bag drop is free.
A student: eat before the show, and look at Gordon Ramsay Street Burger first at 30 per cent off any day.
No ticket to anything: go on a non-event night, when the discounts are unrestricted and the site is quiet.
By river if the weather holds, on the same fare as the Tube.
The O2
- Address
- Peninsula Square, London SE10 0DX
- Nearest
- North Greenwich. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers stops here and takes Oyster, and the IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the river to the site
- Booking
- By event. The restaurants, cinema and activity venues are booked separately
- Price
- Free to enter the site. Bag storage 10 pounds a bag, or free for American Express cardholders through the Amex Cardmember lane
- Standing
- An arena inside a larger entertainment site, with indigo at The O2 as the smaller room and Up at The O2 as the roof climb
How to get in
Only bags of A4 size or smaller are allowed in, one per person. Backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large totes are refused, though totes bought at the arena’s own merchandise outlets are permitted. Bag storage closes one hour after show down. Students get up to 30 per cent off at the restaurants on production of a student ID.
Where to go next
Bowling, axe throwing and padel all cover venues on this site with their prices.
Greenwich covers the rest of the peninsula and beyond, and the Royal Albert Hall is the other end of London’s live music.
Questions we get asked
What bags are allowed at The O2?
One bag per person, no larger than A4, or a standard handbag. Backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large tote bags are refused. Tote bags bought at the arena's own merchandise outlets are allowed in, subject to search.
How much is bag storage at The O2?
10 pounds per bag, at the facility just outside the main entrance. American Express cardholders get it free through the Amex Cardmember lane. Storage closes one hour after show down, so collect your bag before going for a drink.
Is there a student discount at The O2?
Yes, at the restaurants on site, on production of a student ID. Gordon Ramsay Street Burger offers 30 per cent off the whole bill all week, Frankie and Benny's 30 per cent, Haidilao 31 per cent off dishes under timing conditions, Busaba and Las Iguanas 25 per cent, and Cabana, Pizza Express and Scarlet Rasoi 20 per cent. Several apply on non-event days only.
What is there to do at The O2 apart from concerts?
A great deal. Up at The O2 is the roof climb, indigo at The O2 is the smaller music venue, and the site also holds a Cineworld, a Hollywood Bowl, a Boom Battle Bar, Clip 'n Climb, iFLY indoor skydiving, TOCA Social, Padel Social Club, Guinness World Records: London, a thrill coaster and outlet shopping.
How do you get to The O2?
North Greenwich is the nearest Underground station. Uber Boat by Thames Clippers also stops at the site and takes Oyster and contactless like a bus, and the IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the Thames to it. Buses, parking and international coaches also serve it.
How much is parking at The O2?
For arena events, £29.39 on the early bird rate up to three weeks before, £35.28 pre-booked after that, and £40 paying on the day. Minibuses and coaches are £59.35 pre-booked or £65 on the day.
How much is valet parking at The O2?
£75 if pre-booked and £85 on the day, for arena events only. It opens two hours before doors at the VIP entrance via Meridian Gate.
Can you park free at The O2?
Yes, four hours free in car parks 2, 3 and 4 if you spend £35 or more at Outlet Shopping, shown by receipt at the Welcome Desk or Parking Office before leaving. Cineworld customers also get four hours free in car parks 2 and 3.
Which O2 car park should you use?
Car Park 1 for arena and Indigo events, pre-booked through JustPark. Car parks 2, 3 and 4 for the Outlet, Cineworld and Up at The O2, on hourly tariffs from £7 for two hours. Car Park 2 is open 24 hours.
When does O2 pre-booked parking close?
At midnight the day before the event. The early bird rate is only available until three weeks before an arena event.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 239 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
