Plymouth Pavilions 2011
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| Plymouth Pavilions (Plymouth Pavilions Box Office opening times), located opposite the Duke of Cornwall pub in Millbay Road near the Plymouth city centre, is a multi-purpose complex providing a range of facilities. The main Plymouth Pavilions arena is the perfect venue for all kinds of entertainment, and the centre also caters for swimmers and ice skaters, as well as providing food and drink outlets, all in clean, modern surroundings. A look at Plymouth Pavilions history shows it is situated on a historic site but one that is not well known amongst Plymothians. The very first railway station in Plymouth was built here as part of the South Devon Railway in 1849. Originally known simply as Plymouth station, since there were no others in the town, it became Plymouth Millbay after additional stations were opened at Mutley and North Road in 1877. The South Devon Railway continues to run to this day, although the line has been significantly reduced from its heyday. The Pavilions events arena is in almost constant use for shows, conferences and sporting events. At Plymouth Pavilions concerts live bands and solo singers regularly perform there, from Kylie Minogue in 1991, the year the Pavilions opened, to the Arctic Monkeys in 2006, for which tickets sold out in an hour, the fastest selling show at the Pavilions. For its 20th birthday celebrations this year, the Pavilions invited Plymouth Herald readers to vote for the best Pavilions Plymouth gigs ever held in its arena and P!nk, who last performed there in 2007, came out as the winner. The music is not limited to rock and pop – such diverse groups as The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, which performed a classical concert on the opening night, and a Welsh Male Voice Choir have also played here, to delighted audiences. |
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Apart from live Plymouth Pavilions music, the Plymouth Pavilion arena also hosts other acts, particularly comedians. Some of the biggest names in comedy have taken to the stage here over the years, including Billy Connolly, Ricky Gervais, Avril Lavigne, Al Murray, Frankie Boyle, and Michael McIntyre, who launched his 2010 UK tour in Plymouth. The arena can accommodate an audience of 4,000 for a show and regularly fills to capacity and happily there is Plymouth Pavilions car park nearby.
The Plymouth Pavilions capacity and versatility of the main arena means that it can also be used by corporate bodies as a conference centre. Conferences can seat from 500 to 2,500 people but the space can just as easily be organised as a banquet for up to 800. Plymouth Pavilions has earned a reputation as a professionally-run venue, hosting national conferences for the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, and national television shows such as Sports Personality Of The Year. Plymouth Raiders fans have known the main arena of the Pavilions as the home venue for their favourite basketball team since 1996, when the Raiders had to move from their previous site at the Mayflower Centre due to increasing crowds. These are some of the keenest basketball supporters in the country and the 1,480 capacity is regularly sold out when the team plays at home. Some consider the arena to be a rather odd layout for a basketball court but it is accepted as a suitable location by the elite British Basketball League and it hosted some of the England national team’s matches in 1997. |
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Plymouth National Marine Aquarium |
| The facilities available at Plymouth Pavilions extend beyond non-participative entertainment. The large Plymouth Pavilions Fun Pool has been a big attraction to young and old alike since it first opened, especially as it boasts two long water flumes, a galleon with water cannons, a waterfall, a Jacuzzi, and a wave machine. There is a small separate pool for the very young and the main pool features a gently-sloping floor to allow those who are a little anxious around water to ease themselves in gradually. Swimming lessons are available for all ages, either in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. Lessons can be modified to suit the varying strengths of individuals, whether they are completely new to swimming or keen to enhance skills they already have. All lessons are run by qualified ASA swimming instructors and last for 30 minutes. In addition to the arena and swimming pool, Plymouth Pavilions prides itself on its Ice Rink, which encourages fitness while having fun. The rink boasts a high-tech lighting and laser system and the latest in sound technology. As well as being open to the public for standard skating sessions, Plymouth Pavilions rink also has specific sessions for Ice Mobility, Ice Hockey, Ice Discos, Figure Skating, and Chilly Penguins, all of which provide for a wide variety of age groups and abilities. |
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| Ice Mobility is a novel way for wheelchair users to enjoy themselves on the ice without leaving their chair. Ice Hockey, including a junior session aimed at those aged 16 or younger, is available to everyone. All the appropriate equipment is provided and the rink stages friendly matches. Ice Discos are run in the evenings for children under 14 or families. The Figure Skating club is for those who take their ice skating more seriously. The club holds gradings and competitions, but its pièce de resistance is the Christmas Show in which all club members are encouraged to take part. Chilly Penguins is a fun session aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 12, with games and challenges supervised by adult ice stewards. |
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National Trust events in Plymouth
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| A visitor to the Plymouth Pavilions who has partaken in any of the activities available is likely to become hungry and thirsty and there are several options for satisfying those needs. Centrally located within the Pavilions and open from 8am, Live Café provides a wide variety of snacks and light bites, including sandwiches and baguettes prepared fresh each day, healthy salads, nourishing soups, hot jacket potatoes, and tasty pizza slices. To accompany the food, the café serves steaming Lavazza coffee and chilled Shakeaway milkshakes, among other drinks. For those attending an evening of entertainment in the arena, the Carling-sponsored Arena Bar is the place to enjoy a drink with friends before, during, or after the show. A slightly less-crowded but equally modern alternative is the new Liquid Live mini bar which has comfortable seating in a more intimate atmosphere. It is Plymouth Pavilions diversity that may have caused the question mark over its future. A fantastic venue it is, but due to it being an entertainment centre,swimming pool and Plymouth Pavilions skating rink means that none of these may be big enough to survive long term.The construction of the Life Centre and its Olympic size swimming pool is certainly going to deprive Plymouth Pavilions fun pool of many customers and so is earmarked for closure. As to the other facilities it is still to be decided what will happen. It will be a great loss to Plymouth jobs if anything major happens and a great loss to Plymouth residents and visitors too. Hopefully for all those who live in Plymouth and for all those visitors that bring business to Plymouth restaurants and hotels in Plymouth the entertainment arena and ice rink will remain open. However, for now, we can still enjoy performanceslisted on our Plymouth Pavilions Whats On Guide such as: The Plymouth Pavilions Adele, Plymouth Pavilions Queen, Plymouth Pavilions Will Young, Plymouth Pavilions Evanescence , Plymouth Pavilions John Barrowman , Plymouth Pavilions Jesse J , Plymouth Pavilions Michael McIntyre and lots more. |
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