Mariah Carey announces three UK Christmas arena shows for 2026
Mariah Carey will play Christmas shows in Birmingham, London and Manchester, with general ticket sales opening on 25 September 2026.
UK News & Politics Editor ·

Why it's trending
Mariah Carey's first UK Christmas tour in years sent fans hunting for on-sale details.
Mariah Carey has announced three UK Christmas arena shows for late 2026, with concerts scheduled in Birmingham, London and Manchester. The dates mark her first UK Christmas tour in years, according to reports from NME, LBC and The Independent.
The run begins at Utilita Arena Birmingham on 27 November, followed by The O2 in London on 30 November and Co-op Live in Manchester on 2 December. Tickets for all three shows go on general sale on 25 September 2026.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 27 November 2026 | Birmingham | Utilita Arena Birmingham |
| 30 November 2026 | London | The O2 |
| 2 December 2026 | Manchester | Co-op Live |
Mariah Carey UK Christmas tour dates for 2026
Carey’s UK Christmas dates are concentrated into three arena shows across six days. The first takes place in Birmingham on 27 November, before the tour moves to London for a show at The O2 on 30 November and then to Manchester’s Co-op Live on 2 December.
The three dates give fans in England opportunities to see Carey in major arenas across the Midlands, the capital and the North West. NME, LBC and The Independent reported the announcement as a return to UK Christmas touring after a gap of several years.
No additional UK dates have been announced in the information reported so far. The confirmed schedule is therefore limited to Birmingham, London and Manchester, with the three shows taking place across the end of November and beginning of December.
For anyone planning around the dates, the order is straightforward: Birmingham opens the run, London follows three days later, and Manchester closes the announced UK sequence two days after that.
When Mariah Carey UK tickets go on sale
General sale for the three concerts begins on 25 September 2026. That applies to the Birmingham, London and Manchester dates announced for the Christmas run.
The concerts will take place at Utilita Arena Birmingham, The O2 and Co-op Live, all large-scale venues suited to arena productions. The announcement places Carey firmly in the UK’s late-year live music calendar, with the first show falling just over two months after tickets go on general sale.
The tour is notable because it is Carey’s first UK Christmas tour in years. The timing also means all three concerts take place before the middle of December, beginning on 27 November and ending on 2 December.
Fans looking specifically for the London date will need to note that Carey is playing The O2 on 30 November. The Birmingham concert comes first on 27 November, while the Manchester show at Co-op Live follows on 2 December.
Mariah Carey returns to UK arenas for Christmas
The announcement gives Carey a compact three-city arena run rather than an extended list of UK dates. That makes each stop a distinct part of the short Christmas schedule, with no repeated city among the confirmed shows.
Birmingham’s Utilita Arena hosts the opening night on 27 November. The London performance then takes place at The O2 on 30 November, before the tour reaches Co-op Live in Manchester on 2 December.
The Independent, NME and LBC have all reported on the UK dates, highlighting Carey’s return to Christmas touring in the country. The three concerts arrive as part of a busy period for live entertainment, when major arena shows traditionally compete for audiences around the end of the year.
For Carey, the focus of this announcement is specifically Christmas. The confirmed dates are not presented as a broader UK tour extending across multiple months, but as three late-year arena appearances centred on Birmingham, London and Manchester.
Apple Music Hall adds a new London live music venue
Carey’s arena announcement comes as London’s live music scene is also preparing for a very different kind of new venue. Apple Music is opening Apple Music Hall inside Battersea Power Station, near the company’s European headquarters, according to BBC News and Apple Newsroom.
The venue will have a capacity of 600, putting it at the opposite end of the scale from the arenas Carey will play. Apple Music Hall is being designed for intimate performances that can also be filmed and streamed.
BBC News and Apple Newsroom reported that the hall will feature advanced cameras and speakers as part of a high-specification technical set-up. It is expected to open in the coming weeks.
The development arrives amid pressure on London’s live music scene. Against that backdrop, the opening of a new 600-capacity concert hall provides a separate point of interest alongside the continuing demand for major arena events.
The contrast in scale is clear. Carey’s three shows are booked into major arenas in Birmingham, London and Manchester, while Apple Music Hall is designed around a much smaller audience and performances created with filming and streaming in mind.
What the three Mariah Carey dates mean for UK live music
The two developments show different parts of the current UK live music landscape. Carey’s announcement is centred on large arena dates and a short Christmas run, while Apple Music Hall represents an investment in a 600-capacity London space built around intimate performances and high-end production technology.
There is no direct connection between Carey’s concerts and the Apple Music venue, but both developments arrive as attention remains on the health and shape of live music in the UK. The arena shows demonstrate the continuing place of major touring acts, while the Battersea venue adds a new smaller-scale performance space at a time when London’s live sector is under pressure.
For audiences, the practical details of Carey’s announcement are simple: three cities, three arenas and three dates. Birmingham is first on 27 November, London follows on 30 November, and Manchester completes the announced run on 2 December.
What happens next for Mariah Carey UK tickets
The next key date is 25 September 2026, when tickets for the three UK Christmas shows go on general sale. The concerts themselves begin with Utilita Arena Birmingham on 27 November, followed by The O2 in London on 30 November and Co-op Live in Manchester on 2 December.
Separately, Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station is expected to open in the coming weeks, adding a new 600-capacity venue to London’s live music landscape.
Frequently asked questions
When are Mariah Carey’s UK Christmas shows in 2026?
Mariah Carey will play Utilita Arena Birmingham on 27 November 2026, The O2 in London on 30 November 2026 and Co-op Live in Manchester on 2 December 2026. The three concerts make up her announced UK Christmas arena run.
When do Mariah Carey UK tickets go on general sale?
Tickets for Mariah Carey’s three UK Christmas arena shows go on general sale on 25 September 2026. The announced concerts take place in Birmingham, London and Manchester between 27 November and 2 December.
Is this Mariah Carey’s first UK Christmas tour?
The three-date run is Mariah Carey’s first UK Christmas tour in years. It begins at Utilita Arena Birmingham, continues at The O2 in London and finishes at Co-op Live in Manchester.
What is Apple Music Hall in London?
Apple Music Hall is a new 600-capacity concert venue inside Battersea Power Station, near Apple’s European headquarters. BBC News and Apple Newsroom reported that it will host intimate shows designed to be filmed and streamed, using advanced cameras and speakers, and is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Sources: reporting by NME, LBC, The Independent, BBC News and Apple Newsroom.
Filed under Entertainment · Written by Daniel Fletcher



