Gigs & Nightlife

Peter Kay at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times and more for UK tour

Manchester is about to have a barrel of laughs (This article contains affiliate links).

Thomas Melia - 7th August 2026

Bolton-born comedian and entertainer Peter Kay is performing the final leg of his current UK arena tour with a series of charity shows.

Throughout his career, Kay has written and starred in various TV shows including Phoenix Nights, Max And Paddy’s Road To Nowhere and Peter Kay’s Car Share.

Alongside this, the Greater Manchester comedian has played a variety of arena shows across the UK, including at Manchester’s very own AO Arena with the likes of ‘Mum Wants a Bungalow Tour’ and the first raft of ‘Better Late Than Never’.

The latter came after the whole Co-op Live delays, if you can remember that.

And who can forget his successful venture as a recording artist collaborating with Tony Christie on ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’ or alter-ego Geraldine’s string of singles ‘The Winner’s Song’ and ‘Once Upon A Christmas Song’? But let’s be honest, he’s back doing his garlic* bread and butter.

Gig guide | Peter Kay at AO Arena, Manchester

Credit: Press shots (supplied)/**This Morning** (screenshot via YouTube)

Peter Kay UK tour dates

Fri 24 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Sat 25 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Fri 7 August – London, UK – The O2
Sat 8 August – Manchester, UK – AO Arena

And then, of course, we also have his slate of other charity shows set to be played back in his hometown at the famous Albert Halls – for which he recently added even more dates.

You can find out more on that down below.

Peter Kay adds MORE hometown charity gigs in aid of Bolton Hospice

Are there any tickets left for Peter Kay at AO Arena?

Peter Kay is coming to Manchester city centre on Saturday 8 August, and luckily there’s a handful of tickets still up for grabs, although we expect this event to sell out. Tickets are available HERE.

And, the money from the tickets you purchase will be split between the 12 charities that the British comedy hero has chosen, such as Children With Cancer UK, Teenage Cancer Trust, Breast Cancer UK and more.

What are the stage times for Peter Kay in Manchester?

Anyone heading to the ‘Better Late Than Never; The Final Show’ can expect doors to open from 6pm with Peter Kay set to take to stage at 8pm.

Kicking off the night prompt and early, there’s no warm-up act; instead, the 53-year-old gives fans a usual interval between the first and second half of the show.

Simple as that.

AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can laugh your socks off and still get tucked up under the covers before the clock hits midnight.

Getting to AO Arena

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Getting there by car and parking

The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

The Last ̶D̶a̶n̶c̶e̶ Laugh*

It’s been well publicised that these will be the local comedy legend’s final ever live stand-up comedy shows, and while it still feels hard to believe, the time has now come upon us and we’re starting to accept that this really might be goodbye.

So, with that being said, if this is farewell, all we can say is thanks for the memories, the giggles, iconic quotes, and for all the smiles you put on faces up and down the country over the past few decades.

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Featured Images – BBC/ITV (screenshots via YouTube)/Publicity pictures (supplied)