UK Open Darts: Start date, venue, format, prize money breakdown, history & more

The UK Open is a PDC major that sees 160 players battle it out over three days to be crowned the champion at Butlin's Minehead Resort, and we've got all the details you need to know ahead of the action-packed 2025 event this weekend.

The tournament is one of the most entertaining and enthralling competitions on the darts circuit and the format of the event, with it having an unseeded draw after each round, has seen it earn the nickname of the 'FA Cup of Darts'.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming competition as reigning champion Dimitri Van den Bergh bids to make a successful defence of his crown after stunning world number one Luke Humphries in the 2024 final.

UK Open Darts - Date

When is the UK Open Darts?

The UK Open has a settled date in the darting calendar, taking place each year on the opening weekend of March, with the 2025 staging of the event being played out between Friday 28th February and Sunday 2nd March.

UK Open Darts - Prize Money

A bumper £600,000 prize pool will be available for the 2025 UK Open, with £110,000 of that being allocated to the winner.

Players will be guaranteed a cash prize, and crucial ranking points, as long as they avoid defeat in the last 160, where the 32 players eliminated from the event at that stage will depart empty handed.

Winner (1):	£110,000
Runner-Up (1):	£50,000
Semi-Final Losers (2):	£30,000
Quarter-Final Losers (4):	£15,000
Last 16 Losers (8):	£10,000
Last 32 Losers (16):	£5,000
Last 64 Losers (32):	£2,500
Last 96 Losers (32):	£1,500
Last 128 Losers (32):	£1,000
Last 160 Losers (32):	N/A

UK Open Darts - Venue & Location

The UK Open Darts will once again be held at Butlin's Minehead Resort in Somerset, the same venue which has typically played host since 2014.

The only occasion that it changed was in 2021, during the Covid-19 pandemic, where it was held at Milton Keynes' Marshall Arena.

Butlin's Skyline Pavilion can hold 5,000 fans and the weekend-long tournament is seen as one of the most vibrant events on the sport's calendar.

There is a main stage in the Skyline Pavilion, a second stage in the intimate Reds arena and multi-board action elsewhere in the venue.

Prior to moving to Butlin's, the tournament was held for 11 years in the Premier Suite at Whites Hotel, situated in Bolton Wanderers' stadium, currently known as the Toughsheet Community Stadium, starting with the inaugural edition staged in 2003.

UK Open Darts - Format

What is the format for the Darts UK Open?

The 160 competitors will enter the UK Open incrementally, with 64 players entering in the first round.

The 32 first round winners will then be joined by 32 players entering in the second and third rounds to leave the last 64 in the fourth round - which is where players ranked one to 32 enter.

No players are seeded for this event, which typically throws the competition wide open.

How many darts boards are used for the UK Open?

• A random draw will be held for each of the following rounds following the conclusion of the third round.

• All matches in the first, second and third rounds are to be played over best-of-11 legs.

• All matches in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds and quarter-finals are to be played over best-of-19 legs.

• All matches in the semi-finals and final are to be played over best-of-21 legs.

• Eight boards are to be used for matches in the first, second, third and fourth rounds.

• Four boards are to be used for matches in the fifth round.

• Two boards are to be used for matches in the sixth round.

• One board will be used for quarter-final, semi-final and final matches.

UK Open Darts - History

The UK Open was first staged in 2003 at the then-named Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

In 2014, the competition was moved to Butlin's resort in Minehead, and took on a new identity with it.

The first event in Somerset saw a huge shock when Aden Kirk, playing in his first televised match, beat defending and five-time champion Phil Taylor 9–7 in the third round.

Other upsets include amateur qualifier Barry Lynn recording a last-16 victory over the then-reigning world champion Gary Anderson in 2016, before Andrew gilding sprung a significant surprise in ousting Michael van Gerwen in a memorable 2023 final.