Alexandra Palace Guide: Venue details, capacity, history & more for the home of the PDC World Darts Championship

Everything you need to know about London's historic Alexandra Palace, the modern-day home of the PDC World Darts Championship.

Alexandra Palace - History

What is Alexandra Palace?

London's Grade II listed Alexandra Palace is an historic entertainment and sports venue which officially opened in 1873.

Designed as 'The People's Palace' to serve members of the public in recreation, education and entertainment, the venue suffered a major fire just two weeks after opening, meaning the building had to be rebuilt.

In 1900, Alexandra Palace's private owners planned to sell the building, and Alexandra Park, for development, however a group of neighbouring local authorities acquired it, vowing to maintain the building and surrounding nature reserve and make it available for free use to members of the public forever.

An Act of Parliament created the 'Alexandra Palace and Park Trust', which still stands to this day.

The venue was built boasting numerous rooms and halls, including a concert hall, art galleries, a museum, a lecture hall, a library, a banqueting room and a large theatre.

Over the years, Alexandra Palace has housed the BBC - for use as the production and transmission centre for their television service - in 1935, whilst in more recent times it has played host to numerous major sporting events, including boxing bouts, snooker's Masters event and, of course, the PDC's World Darts Championship.

Music concerts and comedians have also held shows at the venue, whilst BBC's 'The Proms' was staged there in 2018.

Alexandra Palace - Location

Where is Alexandra Palace?

Alexandra Palace is situated in North London between Wood Green and Muswell Hill, in the London Borough of Haringey.

It is built on the the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm, and is less than four miles away from Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Wembley Stadium is approximately 10 miles away.

Alexandra Palace - 'Ally Pally' Nickname

Why is Alexandra Palace called 'Ally Pally'?

Alexandra Palace is also commonly known as 'Ally Pally', especially when referenced alongside the World Darts Championship.

The moniker is believed to have stemmed from singer and songwriter Dame Gracie Fields, who performed at the theatre inside the main building during the 1920s where she referred to the Grade II listed building as 'Ally Pally' instead of its full Alexandra Palace name.

Alexandra Palace - Getting There

How to get to Alexandra Palace

By Rail:

Alexandra Palace possesses its own train station, fittingly called Alexandra Palace Station, which is located adjacent to the Wood Green entrance to Alexandra Park. A regular train service runs direct from Moorgate, through Highbury & Islington or from Kings Cross, changing at Finsbury Park.

By Underground Tube:

Wood Green is the nearest underground station on the Piccadilly Line. Spectators of the World Darts Championship making their journeys to the venue via London Underground can exit Wood Green Station, go to bus stop A and pick up the W3 bus up the hill to Alexandra Palace. Alternatively, the walk from Wood Green Station to Alexandra Palace is around one mile, and will take around 20 minutes.

By Bus:

The W3 bus runs from Northumberland Park and Finsbury Park Station, and includes stops at Alexandra Palace Park, Alexandra Palace Ice Rink, Alexandra Palace Palm Court and Alexandra Palace Garden Centre. Alexandra Palace Palm Court offers the quickest route to the entrance for the World Darts Championship.

Alexandra Palace - Car Parking

Where to park at Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace has 1,200 parking spaces in the grounds, offered at a rate of £1.75 per hour, although these are all on a first come first served basis and cannot be booked in advance. Parking is split into six parking areas, with easy access to different areas of the park and its amenities.

Accessible parking at Alexandra Palace

There are disabled access parking spaces specifically for blue badge holders and these are located in the Grove Car park (a short walk up a slight hill) and the East Car Park. All spaces for Blue Badge holders are free of charge.

How long has the World Darts Championship been played at Alexandra Palace?

The PDC World Darts Championship has been staged at Alexandra Palace since 2008, and forms a prominent part of the venue's history.

The showpiece annual PDC event was previously staged at the Circus Tavern, in Purfleet, between 1994 and 2007, before switching to the larger 'Ally Pally' in 2008.

The first winner of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace was John Part, with the Canadian recording a 7-2 victory over Kirk Shepherd in the 2008 final.

Alexandra Palace - Capacity

How many people does Alexandra Palace hold?

Alexandra Palace's West Hall, which plays host to the PDC World Darts Championship, boasts a capacity of 3,500, with the hall typically being fully sold out for every session of the tournament.

Alexandra Palace's larger Great Hall can hold up to 10,250 people, and is often used for large music concerts.

How many players have won the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace?

In total, ten players have reigned supreme in the World Darts Championship since the tournament switched to Alexandra Palace in 2008.

Those players are:

• John Part
• Phil Taylor
• Adrian Lewis
• Michael van Gerwen
• Gary Anderson
• Rob Cross
• Peter Wright
• Gerwyn Price
• Michael Smith
• Luke Humphries

Which darts player has the best record at Alexandra Palace?

Phil Taylor is by far and away the most successful player in World Darts Championship history with three of his 16 titles being won at Alexandra Palace.

'The Power' surged to a remarkable 11 PDC world titles prior to the tournament's switch from the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, before going on to claim the biggest prize in the sport at the event's new modern-day home in 2009, 2010 and 2013.

Most wins in the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace

1. Phil Taylor (3)
2. Michael van Gerwen (3)
3. Adrian Lewis (2)
4. Gary Anderson (2)
5. Peter Wright (2)
6. John Part (1)
7. Rob Cross (1)
8. Gerwyn Price (1)
9. Michael Smith (1)
10. Luke Humphries (1)

Alexandra Palace - Events

What other events take place at Alexandra Palace?

As well as being the home to the PDC World Darts Championship, Alexandra Palace has also established itself as one of the best venues in London for other major events.

Legendary rock bands Led Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath and Queen all played Alexandra Palace during the heyday, whilst BBC's 'The proms' has also been staged there.

The MTV Europe Music Awards, which were hosted by Robbie Williams, were staged there in 1996, whilst the MOBO Awards took place in 2000.

In more modern times, snooker's Masters event - one of the the sport's three triple Crown competitions - has taken residency at the venue, whilst local ice hockey team Haringey Huskies play their home matches at the venue's ice rink.

In 2023 Alexandra Palace celebrated its 150th birthday where 20,000 members of the public descended on Alexandra Park for a day of festivities.