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The venue opened in 1979 with gigs by Desmond Decker and Geno Washington . In 1992, Sony /Pace bought the venue and re-branded it as ''The National Bowl'', building a permanent massive sound stage. They pulled out in 1996 citing profitability reasons. English Partnerships (who are responsible for finding sites for another 35,000 houses in Milton Keynes), bought the site in 2000. It is currently leased to a Gaming International / Live Nation UK consortium.


ACCESS

  • Rail: It is an easy walk (about 1 mile/about 2km) from Milton Keynes Central Railway Station , on the other side of the A5. There is also a shuttle bus service from Station Square to the venue.

  • Road: The Bowl is on Watling Street , just north of its junction with the A421 (and the latter's junction with the A5). However, Watling Street is normally closed at this point during major events so, for pick-up and drop-off, use the railway station car-park (signed from the A509 near its exit from the A5 , a few miles from M1 Junction 14. From Junction 13, follow signs to the station. (Postcode for GPS: MK9 1AZ)

  • Air: there is a Helipad just on the other side of Watling Street, though its use is normally restricted to the headline act! Fans arriving by air should use London Luton Airport (and then coach to the station) or Birmingham International Airport (and then take a direct train from Birmingham International Railway Station to Milton Keynes Central).


Parking on the site is very limited and will become more so to permit the proposed developments. For major events, patrons arriving by car might try the commercial district of Central Milton Keynes leading down to the station (for the shuttle bus) or the neighbouring retail districts (Winterhill and Rooksley). Arrival by public transport is strongly preferred.


RECENT CONTROVERSY

At the mid June 2005 Green Day events, the gate staff refused to allow anyone in with more than 500 Ml of water in sealed plastic bottles. The days were extremely hot and concert goers had little choice but to buy more from Concession Stand s. Apologising later, the management claimed that the gate staff had misunderstood. The instruction was that no containers other than sealed 500 ml bottles were permitted, but there was to be no restriction on their number. As a result of the bad publicity, the unlimited number has been confirmed and the maximum size has also been increased to 1 litre.


UPCOMING EVENTS (2006)



PREVIOUS ARTISTS

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Bands to have played there include



''For the list in date order, see {Link without Title} ''


Recordings

  • Queen have released a DVD and double CD of their 1982 appearance at the Bowl entitled ''On Fire: Live at the Bowl''.

  • Green Day's recently released album ''Bullet in a Bible'', and the accompanying DVD, was recorded at the Bowl in the summer of 2005 .



2006 DEVELOPMENT PLANS


Despite having done little of significance with the site in their 2003 – 2005 lease, on 23 January 2006, Gaming International/Live Nation won a further lease in a competitive tender. According to a development summary leaflet on the bowl National Bowl website (see "Backstage"), the plans for
  • the Bowl capacity to be increased from 65,000 to 75,000 to become the fourth biggest arena in the UK.

  • a new arch stage, taller than the existing trees.

  • a Pavilion for 2,000 people for indoor events all year round,

  • permanent (covered) ).

  • a new Milton Keynes Greyhound Stadium with restaurant and bars for 3,500. The planning application proposes a substantial Casino element. This stadium will be in the northern corner of the site (currently used for parking) and not at Elfield Park as previously announced. Used car auctions will resume.

  • a "significant" improvement to the Redway / Sustrans Cycle Route 51 and the wildlife 'corridor' through the park,

  • a children's playground and amenities, such as cafes and permanent toilets,

  • a four- or five-star, 120 bedroom, hotel and leisure complex,

  • a small sports pavilion for local organisations such as MK Cycling Club (who use the ring-road for time-trials etc.).

    • These proposals are subject to obtaining planning permission.


Compare aerial photography from 1999 with the same area in 1995 .


Elfield Park

Gaming International already owns Elfield Park, a narrow strip of land on the other side of the site for a 350 house development. (The sale of the latter funded the purchase of the former or vice versa). A section of the Elfield park site is designated {Link without Title} as an educational nature reserve. Now that the stadium is to go on the main Bowl reserve, the former speedway site is left blank on the planning application for the Bowl redevelopment.


EXTERNAL LINKS