The forgotten history of London’s O2 Arena has resurfaced, and the eerie exposure of its past life as the Millennium Dome has confused X commentators.
Long before it became the popular concert venue on the Greenwich Peninsula in south-east London that we know today, it was the Millennium Dome, completed in 1999 and opened in 2000 to commemorate the milestone.
Some of its most notable attractions included Ron Mueck’s giant ‘Boy’ sculpture, The Millennium Coin Minting Press and The Millennium Star Jewels, which became the focus of the failed Millennium Diamond Heist on November 7, 2000.
However, the project and the exhibition, which ran from January 1 to December 31, 2000, attracted only half of the 12 million customers that its sponsors predicted, so the press considered it a failure.
The Dome was temporarily closed and opened in December 2003 for a Winter Wonderland experience before embarking on a transformative journey to become the O2 Arena on May 31, 2005.
London’s iconic O2 Arena (pictured) was previously known as the Millennium Dome until 2005 (file image)
The forgotten history of London’s iconic O2 Arena has resurfaced, and the eerie exposure of its past life as the Millennium Dome has left many visitors scratching their heads (file image)
Some of the Dome’s most notable attractions included the giant ‘Boy’ sculpture by Ron Mueck (pictured)
More than two decades later, visitors to the O2 Arena have stumbled across the eerie remains of its history, and surreal images of the exhibition shared on X have even left some convinced they have been generated by AI.
Andrew Shearer, a 27-year-old Scottish graphic designer, uploaded a series of old photographs from the exhibition to his account on April 30.
He mailwhich has since racked up more than 2 million views and 500 comments, includes a caption that reads: “Just discovering what used to be inside the O2 Arena before it was a stadium and I’m losing my mind.”
One photograph shows a giant, lifelike human boy sculpture, called ‘Boy’ by Australian artist Ron Mueck, while another shows helium-filled cartoon creatures that later became ‘Haahoos’ in the CBeebies children’s show In The Night Garden.
A third image shows a Willy Wonka-style castle equipped with slides and spinning gears, as well as a giant digital sculpture of an arrow, while the fourth image shows an art installation of a faceless orange Siamese from the Body Zone.
In response to Andrew’s post, one bemused person wrote: “So you’re telling me these aren’t AI generated,” while another commented: “Getting Glasgow Willy Wonka vibes.”
Some former Millennium Dome visitors recounted their own strange experiences visiting the exhibit, while others mocked some of the “sad” attractions on display.
One person joked: ‘Look, no one alive has ever celebrated a millennium before and we didn’t really know how to do it, okay?’ An attempt was made.
Pictured: John Hackney, Creative Director of The Body Zone at The Millennium Dome, inside The Body Zones Cranium
The project and exhibition, which ran from January 1 to December 31, 2000, attracted only half of the 12 million customers predicted by its sponsors, and were therefore considered a failure (archive image).
The surreal images from the exhibition shared on X have even left some convinced they have been generated by AI (archive image)
Pictured: Brent Pollard with the 6ft Millennium Dome hamster for which he paid £3,000 at an auction in Kent, 2001.
Visitors to the O2 Arena have stumbled across the eerie remnants of its history, and surreal images of the exhibition shared on X have even left some convinced they have been generated by AI.
Another former visitor said: ‘Apart from the giant body exhibit, the only thing I remember about the Millennium Dome is that there was a machine there that minted £5 coins, but they cost £10 each.
Attaching a photo of a drab indoor fairground, a third individual recalled: ‘It failed so badly they closed it after a year, then briefly opened the saddest winter wonderland ever before O2 bought it five years later. I’m horrified.’
A final X user joked: “That’s what the whole UK was like in the 90s.” People now look back and think that Teletubbies was a fictional children’s television show, but it was actually a documentary about a British family at the time.
Elsewhere, a bizarre giant pumpkin sculpture could soon adorn Hyde Park, just yards from Kensington Palace, MailOnline can reveal.
Plans have been submitted for a large polka dot artwork called ‘Pumpkin’ by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama, known for the signature polka dots in her artwork.
