{"id":932746,"date":"2026-05-02T11:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T11:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/932746\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T11:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T11:00:23","slug":"utilita-arenas-statement-to-peter-kay-fans-due-to-attend-show-in-birmingham-tonight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/932746\/","title":{"rendered":"Utilita Arena&#8217;s statement to Peter Kay fans due to attend show in Birmingham tonight"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Utilita Arena has issued security advice for Peter Kay fans<\/p>\n<p>10:21, 02 May 2026Updated 10:22, 02 May 2026<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Comedian Peter Kay\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_Billy-Joel-And-Peter-Kay-Perform-At-Croke-Park-In-Dublin.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Comedian Peter Kay\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Comedian Peter Kay(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Birmingham Utilita Arena has confirmed Peter Kay&#8217;s set will go ahead at the venue tonight following last night&#8217;s bomb scare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Peter Kay&#8217; fans <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/news\/midlands-news\/reason-peter-kay-birmingham-utilita-33876943\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">were evacuated from the Brindleyplace<\/a> arena just 45 minutes into the comedian&#8217;s gig on Friday, May 1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A 19-year-old was arrested on <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/news\/midlands-news\/reason-peter-kay-birmingham-utilita-33876943\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">suspicion of a bomb hoax offence <\/a>after armed police descended onto the venue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">READ MORE: <\/strong><a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/news\/midlands-news\/reason-peter-kay-birmingham-utilita-33876943\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Reason Peter Kay Birmingham Utilita gig evacuated as police issue major arrest update<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">He remained in police custody this morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Utilita bosses have since confirmed that Peter Kay&#8217;s show will go ahead tonight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Fans who were left disappointed by last night&#8217;s show being cut short will soon be contacted with information about &#8220;next steps&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A spokesperson for Utilita Arena said: &#8220;Following the precautionary evacuation of Utilita Arena <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">Birmingham<\/a> during Peter Kay\u2019s performance last night, we can confirm that tonight\u2019s Peter Kay event, May 2,will go ahead as planned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Following an extensive search by <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/west-midlands-police\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">West Midlands Police<\/a>, no items of a suspicious nature were found, and the building was determined to be safe. West Midlands Police are satisfied with the security measures in place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We would like to thank the attendees of yesterday\u2019s Peter Kay event for their cooperation, which ensured a swift and safe evacuation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Ticket holders for yesterday\u2019s Peter Kay performance will be contacted with the next steps from their original point of purchase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;The safety and security of our customers and colleagues is always our first priority.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We work closely with local and national authorities, constantly reviewing our security measures to ensure they are effective and proportionate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We employ a range of security measures, both visible and behind the scenes, across all NEC venues, during events and at all other times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;These measures include tailored venue search operations, strategically placed security personnel, multi-purpose dog response teams, intelligence-led CCTV monitoring, and partnerships with West Midlands Police, who often deploy additional resources.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;While you may not see all security activity, please be assured that it is ongoing, often behind the scenes.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A <a aria-label=\"West Midlands PoliceLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/all-about\/west-midlands-police\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">West Midlands Police<\/a> spokesperson added: &#8220;Following searches of the Utilita Arena last night no items of a suspicious nature were found.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a bomb hoax offence and remains in custody this morning as our enquiries continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;re grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding. As always our priority is the safety of the public.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Utilita Arena has issued security advice for Peter Kay fans 10:21, 02 May 2026Updated 10:22, 02 May 2026&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":932747,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,188,393,4884,81001,16,15,64919],"class_list":["post-932746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-birmingham","tag-birmingham","tag-britain","tag-crime","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-peter-kay","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-utilita-arena-birmingham"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116504640424428377","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932746","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932746"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932746\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/932747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}