The O2 bag policy 2026: what size bag you can bring (and what it costs if you can't)

The rule, in one line

One bag per person, A4 size or smaller. That is the whole rule for the arena. The venue's own wording is that you will be permitted to take an A4 size bag or smaller inside, and that one bag is allowed per person.

A4 is 21cm x 30cm — roughly a sheet of printer paper. A standard handbag passes. If you are trying to judge a bag you already own, stand a piece of A4 in front of it: if the bag is visibly bigger in any direction, plan for storage rather than hoping.

Checked on 18 August 2026 against the official bag policy page. Event owners can add their own restrictions on top for a specific show, so confirm your event page close to the date.

What is explicitly not allowed inside

The venue names these as not permitted in the arena: backpacks, travel cases, laptop bags, camera bags and large tote bags. The size limit is not the only test — some bag types are refused regardless.

One exception worth knowing: tote bags bought at the arena's own official merchandise outlets are permitted, subject to search. If you buy merch in a tote inside, you are not going to be turned back out for it.

Planning the whole night, not just this? The The North Greenwich Survival Kit covers the route, the food window, the meeting point and three ways to leave.

If your bag is too big: £10, and a deadline nobody mentions

There is a bag storage facility just outside the main entrance. The current cost is £10 per bag. Everything is searched and screened before it is accepted.

The detail that catches people out: bag storage closes one hour after show down. If you have checked a bag, collecting it is part of your exit plan, not an afterthought. A slow drink or a merch queue on the way out can cost you the bag until the venue reopens.

If you hold an American Express card, the venue currently offers cardmembers a complimentary bag drop through the Amex Cardmember lane — the same service without the £10. Worth checking before you pay.

Water bottles: the rule is about the bottle, not the water

Glass and hard drinks bottles are on the prohibited list. The venue's wording draws the line precisely: anything other than empty collapsible drinks bottles is refused.

So an empty, crushable bottle you can refill inside is fine. A hard plastic sports bottle or a glass bottle is not, empty or full. Small perfume bottles are accepted separately.

Arriving with luggage from a day out or a train

If you are travelling in for the day with a case, decide where it goes before you reach the peninsula rather than at the door — see our guide to luggage storage near The O2. The arena's own facility is sized for bags, and there is no guarantee of space on a sold-out night.

The size you carry to the door still matters even when the rest of your luggage is elsewhere. Match what you bring inside to the A4 limit and you will walk through.

The 30-second version

One bag, A4 or smaller, per person. No backpacks, cases, laptop or camera bags. Bigger bags go to storage outside the main entrance for £10, or free with an Amex card, and that storage shuts one hour after the show ends. Empty collapsible bottles only.

We tell you what to check; the venue's official page tells you the current answer for your date. These are exactly the details that change, so confirm before you travel.