SSE Arena

Went to the little mix concert with my daughter.
Everything ran smoothly and on time and the concert was fantastic.
Bought one beer and a bottle of water and it was approx £5.50 which was what I expected.
Little bit manic on the way out but went to the fona cab taxi pick up point and waited aprox 15 mins then our taxi arrived so happy with that :)

Previously called the odyssey the SSE Arena hasn’t really changed under the new ownership. However it’s where all the big names play Belfast and where the Belfast Giants have their home games. It is always well organised and staff are great considering they are usually ushering large numbers of drunken excitable people in and out of the place. The new app to order drinks in advance and save queuing is a god send and I would highly recommend you use it as you can even place your order before you leave the house.
Always keep an eye out for which event is playing next.

Such a shame the name changed, odyssey is a far better name. Fantastic venue with massive potential for future concerts, shows and events. More variety at the bars on the way into the arena would be an improvement and more publicity around upcoming events too. Loads of other places in the complex and plenty of parking. Only been here for a hockey game and when Michael buble had a concert in Belfast. Sse give us more variety of sports, events and performances.

Love this place always a great atmosphere went and seen misses browns boys twice last month loved the show
Cant wait til i get back to watch something else
Lovely staff very friendly

having never seen an ice hockey game i was pretty impressed with my first experience of the game in Belfast.
The action of the game was very fast paced to the point where any time I’d turn away for even a few seconds i’d miss someone scoring or some sort of action. I really enjoyed it.
The arena was pretty good with a good number of food stands dotted around the place and good spacious seating.

Been here recently for a Belfast Giants match and to be honest I can’t see much of a change from the old Odyssey Arena.
The only thing I’d say is there’s definitely more advertising screens in the concourse. We were also encouraged to download a new app that let us pre order our drunks and snacks from the comfort of our seats but unfortunately none of our group could get it downloaded. I think this would actually be quite a cool wee addition to the SSE because, let’s face it, no one likes standing in queues when there’s entertainment only meters away.
I’ll need to give it another visit in the not too distant future to completely make up my mind. Although one thing they could improve is the parking situation. Cars are often trapped in the car park for well over 30 minutes after a gigs and Giants games.

I thought when the Odyssey Arena changed to the SSE arena that it would have got a whole new face lift. I was disappointed to find out that it is exactly the same arena with a different name.
The arena has so much potential to be so much better!

I can’t imagine what we did without the Odyssey and when you think of the number of big stars from the music world that have come to our wee city it is truly amazing.
Even more so the fact that I had the pleasure this week of being at the Odyssey for the Neil Diamond concert. I don’t think that I have come down to earth yet. It’s so good to have someone as well known and as big a legend perform in our city.
It goes without saying that the concert itself was out of this world and although the tickets were pricey it was worth every penny.
The venue was well organised and seating was comfortable with plenty of leg space to all low for people to get in and put. The ushers were pleasant and very organised .
On the down side there was only one bar open which caused long delays in obtaining those much needed refreshments.
Although there was a lot happening in and around the Odyssey there appeared to be a well organised exit from the car park as it only took about ten minutes to get from the pay point to getting out onto the road.
All in all it was a splendid evening which will not be forgotten in a hurry and I look forward to another visit to the Odyssey in the near future

I noticed tonight for the first time that the odyssey really had gone downhill. The arena is great for concerts etc but put that to one side and you are not left with much else.
I think it has so much potential– I remember when the place was buzzing every weekend with people queuing to get into Bambu and coyote. There also used to be a lot more restaurants, now you can take your pick from soda joes Pizza Hut or a dodgy Chinese.
I would love to see someone take this place over, bring back some decent restaurants and a good club, I also think it would be the ideal location for N Ireland’s first casino!

I am a fan of the Odyssey Arena, it brings global sporting events and world superstars to our city and for that alone it has to be praised.
Recently I seem to have been in the Odyssey sporting arena a lot and each time I have been I have had a pleasant experience.
As with any mass coming together of people there are going to be small things that happen that you are just going to have to accept, like queues at the bars or box office issues but this is just part and parcel of hosting a large scale event.
The great things about the Odyssey are as follows:
It is easy to get to — You can get a taxi for under £10 from Belfast City Centre although weather permitting you can walk from the City’s Cathedral Quarter. If you’re driving there are a choice of 3 car parks in close proximity to the arena. The Car park opposite is charged at £3 for 3 hours which is extremely reasonable. Beware of parking in here for concerts as it is a nightmare getting out. Titanic Quarter train station on the Belfast to Bangor train line is around a 10 minute walk from the arena also.
The range of Sporting events on offer — In the last month the Odyssey Arena has staged Premier League Darts, World Championship Boxing and of Course is home to the Belfast Giant Ice Hockey team. The Belfast Giants in particular has a real family atmosphere.
The Odyssey Arena also has a nightclub, a few restaurants, a bowling alley, a cinema and a dedicated sports bar on site! What more could you ask for?

Lets see… how many words can I use to describe the Odyssey Arena after my last visit over the weekend.
Dirty
Filthy
Unclean
Bogging
Stinking
Wouldn’t keep pigs in it
Revolting
I have been in cleaner toilets… In Russia
All in all NOT a pleasant experience, we paid dear for the VIP suite to see HP7 but it was like going out for a 5 star meal and eating it in a greasy spoon café circa 1955. Standards have plummeted here and this place is not all that old, tiles filthy, in fact I thought I saw spuds sprouting from between the grout lines, badly in need of a face lift, steam clean and new management by the looks of things, I would not be rushing back at all.
It looks as though a few places have closed up and I am hardly shocked, people don’t pay good money to be entertained in shite. You can go out and stand in a field for free.

I think it is about to celebrate ten years in business. I remember the band ‘Five’ were the first to play a concert here. Some of you reading this are saying ‘who’!!!
But ten years on and its still going… the arena is mainly used as the home rink for the Belfast Giants. Local support for the teams has dwindled somewhat over the last five years and only the faithful few are left.
I used to work in one of the catering facilities around the arena and that was back when the Giants were really popular and it was always bunged to the max and had a really fun atmosphere. These days I think most of its business comes from concerts and shows.

Despite seeing Guns N’Roses rock the Odyssey out last month, the night before their ill-​fated gig in Dublin when Axl got bottled off the stage, this is one of my least favourite venues in Belfast. I’ve been dragged bowling or to the cinema here on numerous occasions — again on painful work nights out (why do I agree to go out with workmates?), and, while the plush cinema and modern bowling alley can’t be faulted in themselves, the fact that they’re part of the complex itself just puts me off.
It’s too shiny, too clean, too new, and too full of millies and spides in training to have any sort of atmosphere. The bars are like the M Club without the violence but with the pretention, the restaurants are too bright and it always takes forever to get a taxi home. I was also really miffed at the recent concert when we got swiped in with our tickets and then weren’t allowed out again for a smoke until the concert was over, even though it was at least two hours from swipe-​in until the band was on. People did light up in the middle of the crowd though once the bands started. How naughty.
You’ll probably end up in the Odyssey at some point for a gig, or because you’re not assertive enough with your workmates, but it definitely isn’t my choice for a night out.

The Odyseey Pavillion marketed itself as the number one place for entertainment in Northern Ireland, and in some respects that is still true.
The concert arena is great; with good sound and consistently draws in huge international acts ranging for the pop of Girls Aloud to the rock of Metallica. The arena also hosts comedy events and exhibitions, in addition to the sporting events like WWE and Basketball games. The resident hockey team, the Belfast Giants, is also a great night out, and provides some depth to the sporting options in Belfast!
However the main complex has been on a downhill trend for the last year. To have Soda Joe’s, Oddysey Bowl and Bar 7 shut their doors (temporarily or not) is a real blow to the centre and makes it feel run down, despite it being a relatively new complex.
The Pavillion does still have the Box as its most successful club, with the Beach Club trailing behind in the popularity stakes. The cinema is great here and W5 is fantastic for a day out for the family. The centre badly needs the odyssey bowl to reopen as it had all the pool tables and inside with the games which was a really good draw for the younger kids!

The Odyssey was designed to be a venue that covered everything from family days out to late night entertainment. While it was a novel idea, the attraction of the venue is somewhat limited. You can take the kids bowling, intrigue them with the W5 science outlet, or treat them to the latest Disney film at the cinema, but once you’ve done that (and you could do it all in a day), there’s not much that would have the kids screaming to go back every weekend, unless they were particular fans of ice-​hockey.
I don’t think anyone would dispute the fact that, were it not for the alcohol licenses on the premises, the arena would’ve become a car-​park a long time ago. There are a few bars which don’t see a lot of action during the day, but which get a large enough crowd at the weekends, especially the Beach Club. There are a few restaurants there as well, from your standard Pizza Hut to Spanish and Chinese, but for me its appeal is limited. Throw in the fact that it’s not that convenient to get to (or from), and I’m more inclined to head to the city-​centre for my night’s entertainment.
That being said, the ice-​hockey is entertaining, and the Arena is renowned for its live entertainment. It hosts an array of live concerts and exhibitions, including world class performers, sporting events, Disney on Ice, etc., all of which come with a price tag that’s a bit much for me.
Getting home after a night out is no picnic either, and the area gets very congested for traffic. For me, it’s a place to visit on occasion when a performer or event that I’m a particular fan of is in town. For visitors who just want to check it out for themselves, there’s a bus that leaves from the city hall. Your best bet, however, is to have a look around it if you’re getting on one of the tour buses in Belfast, as you can get dropped off and picked up outside it, saving you any other travel costs.

I have been to the Odyssey more times than I’m willing to admit (and at £10 a taxi there and back, I don’t want to add it up) but it is arguably the best venue for concerts in Belfast. It has been built with the ‘world class performers’ in mind, somewhere that they can come and put onto the back of their overpriced t-​shirts.
Before, football pitches, shopping centres, alleyways etc housed any performer that plucked up the courage to come to Belfast. Now, thanks to the Odyssey, Belfast is a great place to play… Even Take That give the world premier of their Beautiful World tour in Belfast (which I seen and wow!)
There are a bunch of shops, cinema and clubs and chances are you may see some people who look a bit shady but if you go into town you will see the same.
It is well out of the way which is an advantage/​disadvantage (delete as appropriate) but as far as a venue for concerts go, its the best in Belfast bar none.

While this was seen as a major step forward for Northern Ireland tourism and entertainment options, I think it is a major step backwards for culture and anyone who enjoys a nice night out with no trouble and nice atmosphere.
The place is a horrible mix of families out for dinner at one of the many faceless restaurants to young drunk people falling about and being agressive.
The restaurants are all chains and seem to be cookie cutter versions of places elsewhere with no sense of Belfast or any sort of tradition. The clubs here are the same. They seem to only be interested in churning out rubbish music to people who just want to get drunk and start trouble.
The bowling alley is terrible with disinterested staff and antiquated equipment. The gigs and shows put on at the Odyssey are only chart topping acts and there is nothing ever on for people who have more than a passing interest in music. Think Rod Stewart and Coldplay.
There is no culture or sense of pride in being in Belfast, if it wasn’t for the VIP option at the cinema this place wouldn’t be worth going to.

Having seen what some fellow reviewers have said about the Odyssey, I have to say both of those ‘worlds’ do exist down there… there is the existence of these strange gangs of teenagers, bereft of any real place to go to, that seem to just hang around inside the main building, probably just trying to stay out of the rain… although I’ve seen many attempting to get into the nightclubs inside. It does give the place a bit of a ‘seedy’ vibe. I’m not even thirty and looking at all the skin-​tight neon lycra makes me feel decidedly old…
Moving on, with regard to the arena itself, I’ve never been to a bad concert there… it’s a great venue for the big names and thier live shows have always had the place pumping with energy and excitement. I’ve seen Eric Clapton, Kylie, Take That and Lady Gaga (please don’t comment on my music taste!) and each gig has been fantastic. Now, I know a lot of that has to do with the technical team that actually travel around with the show, but if you don’t have a good venue, the show wouldn’t work. So music/​entertainment-​wise, it’s always good. And the staff are plentiful, and always keep you right when finding where you’re supposed to be.
The big downer is the EXTORTIONATE price you have to pay for a bottle of water. It was at least £2.50 and I’m not kidding. I was appalled. They also don’t offer much other alcoholic choice than Smirnoff Ice and beer — not a great range to be honest. I thought it was really bad how much they charged for a drink. Also, people smoke in the toilets and it’s not really policed very well — not a big personal issue for me, but a definite fire hazard!
All in all, if you’re going to see someone you really love here, then you’ll have a great night — I also recommend getting seated tickets as the view is never compromised and you don’t spend all night jostling for your place in the crowd!

I have been to quite few concerts (or gigs — is that what they’re called these days?) in the Odyssey Arena and these guys have got the management of big events down to a fine art.
From the moment you go in, there are enough efficient staff on duty to make sure that queues move quickly and that no-​one gets frustrated even though there are thousands of people around.
Going through the doors is a breeze, you are directed towards the right door into the arena, depending on where you’re sitting or standing. I know they are at the mercy of the artist, but every show has started more or less on time. When going to a big arena or stadium, I have a morbid fear of the toilet facilities. I think it stems from going to an outdoor festival in my youth where there were about 50 portaloos for 60 000 people. Oh dear God it still makes me heave to think about it. Thankfully there’s no problem at the Odyssey. I’ve never even seen a queue.
Eve if you are seated, you will still have room to bust a few moves at your seat (as I did at the Kylie show. Yes, really. She was great actually. So was I). Obviously if you’re a bit of a mover, go for the standing area at the front if you can.
I have also had the pleasure of watching the Pink gig from a corporate box. Oh momma, that’s the way to see a show. Your own bar, private seats, great view. Absolutely fab but it makes you never want to go back to the ordinary seats again. For most events you can get tickets for the VIP boxes. It will add a large whack onto the cost of your night out, but for a special event it is unbeatable.

Ot a great place to go if you are over 25, or don’t like chavvy, half naked drunk teenagers fighting at the end of the night.
Only decent place in here is the comedy club.
Nowhere open for food at kicking out time and nightmare trying to get a taxi at the weekend.
Avoid like the plague!!!