Gladiators Live plays bp pulse LIVE at the NEC on 5 and 6 December, 11.30am and 5.30pm each day. A family of four pays £99 plus fees on the Sunday shows.

Gladiators Live comes to bp pulse LIVE at the NEC for one weekend, Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December, with four shows: 11.30am and 5.30pm on each day. Tickets are on sale now. The cheapest way in for a family is the £99 family ticket for four, plus fees, sold only for the two Sunday shows.

Everything below was checked on 21 October 2026 against the arena’s event page, the tour’s own ticket and FAQ pages and Live Nation’s listing.

The four shows

  • Saturday 5 December: 11.30am and 5.30pm
  • Sunday 6 December: 11.30am and 5.30pm

Doors open 90 minutes before each show, so 10am for the morning shows, which is the time the arena prints. The tour says the show runs for about two hours, with a 30 minute interval on top; Live Nation’s listing for the Saturday morning show gives a 2pm finish. (bp pulse LIVE, Gladiators Live FAQs, Live Nation)

What happens in the show

The tour describes a two-hour arena version of the BBC series: Gladiators against Contenders through the familiar events, head-to-head battles and stunts, ending in the Eliminator. The Contenders are people who have been on past TV episodes.

The tour will not say which Gladiators appear at which show; its FAQ says it is “unable to guarantee which specific names will be appearing”. Expect loud noise, flashing lights and pyrotechnics throughout, which matters if you are bringing a young or sound-sensitive child. (Gladiators Live, FAQs)

Tickets

  • Standard tickets are sold through AXS, the arena’s ticket partner. Neither the arena nor the tour prints the standard prices outside the booking pages, so we have not quoted one.
  • Family ticket: £99 plus fees for four people, with no more than two adults, on the Sunday 11.30am and 5.30pm shows only. The tour’s family ticket page links to Ticketmaster for these.
  • VIP packages are sold for all four shows. They include the “Official Pre-show Floor Party”, where you can meet some of the Gladiators; the tour says they are limited and does not print the price.
  • Premium lounge packages are sold by the arena for each show, again without a printed price.
  • Accessible and carer tickets are booked through the arena: choose the Accessible Tickets option on the booking page.

No show was marked sold out or limited on 21 October. (bp pulse LIVE, Gladiators Live tickets, family tickets, VIP tickets)

Ages

  • Seated: under 14s must be with an adult aged 18 or over who has a ticket. Anyone 14 or over can go in alone with a valid ticket.
  • Standing: no under 14s on the standing floor, and 14 and 15 year olds only with an adult aged 18 or over.
  • Babies aged 0 to 2 need no ticket, but must sit on the lap of an adult ticket holder for the whole show. You may be asked for proof of age. (bp pulse LIVE, Gladiators Live FAQs)

Phones can record for personal use; professional cameras are not allowed. Official merchandise is only sold at the show, and the stands take cards and phones only.

Parking and getting there

bp pulse LIVE is on the NEC campus, Perimeter Road, B40 1NT, in the Solihull borough at Bickenhill. It uses the NEC car parks; the arena says booking parking before the day saves up to £5 on the standard rate, with standard, express, accessible and EV charging spaces. (bp pulse LIVE parking)

It is a busy weekend on the campus. Winter Funland opens in Hall 5 on Saturday 5 December, and MegaCon Live and the World and British Rowing Indoor Championships are also on the campus that weekend (NEC what’s on). Book parking early and allow extra time for the 11.30am shows.

By train, Birmingham International station connects to the NEC by a covered walkway. Our parking in Solihull page covers the town centre, and Solihull roadworks and travel has anything closed on the M42 and A45 around the NEC.

For the rest of that weekend, see Winter Funland NEC, our Santa in Solihull round-up and the Solihull Christmas markets page. The Core’s pantomime, Peter Pan, opens the night before, on 4 December.

What we will update

Standard ticket prices if the arena or tour publishes them, any named Gladiators for Birmingham, and sold-out shows. This page is checked again in the week before the first show.

Sources