ABBA Voyage today announced the launch of its expanded Education Programme at its purpose-built 3,000 seat ABBA Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, The long-term initiative, developed in collaboration with London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the organisation responsible for the Park, has been designed to support and create pathways into the creative industries for young people across East London.
The programme builds on the work ABBA Voyage has delivered with LLDC and partners from the Park’s cultural quarter, East Bank, since opening in 2022. Together these initiatives have already engaged thousands of young people via schools concerts, careers workshops, skills development programmes and employment opportunities. Drawing from its four neighbouring boroughs, this initiative has created greater access to and engagement with the creative industries for young people from underrepresented communities
The launch event brought together children, students, educators, industry leaders and local stakeholders for a special schools concert and reception celebrating the power of music, creativity and access to the arts. Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid were thrilled to meet some of the children and experience their enthusiasm and curiosity first-hand.
ABBA said:
“Music has an incredible ability to stimulate creativity and confidence in young people. We hope this programme helps inspire young people to be curious about the world of performing arts and what they can achieve in the future. We feel privileged that ABBA Voyage can play a part in that journey.”
Existing education and community initiatives
The education programme builds on a series of initiatives already delivered by ABBA Voyage as part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Talent Pathways programme since opening in 2022. These include:
- Twice-yearly schools concerts for state primary and secondary school pupils across the four local boroughs (Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest)
- Summer and Autumn Schools providing young people aged 15-17 with practical insight into careers within live entertainment;
- East Careers Week workshops showcasing the breadth of opportunities available across the creative industries;
- Teach Meets for local teachers and careers leads;
- subsidised young persons ticketing schemes designed to improve access to live music experiences;
- continued commitment to local employment, with a minimum of 50% of employees sourced from the surrounding area.
New initiatives for 2026
The next phase of the programme will focus on deepening long-term impact and creating clearer pathways into employment within the creative industries. New initiatives launching from 2026 include a fully sponsored Autumn School programme, a new mentoring scheme connecting young people with creative professionals across Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the introduction of new apprenticeship opportunities within live events and technical production, as well as a freelance charter to support fairer, more transparent and more sustainable working practices across the creative sector..
To date, ABBA Voyage has engaged more than 8,500 young people through its education and outreach activity and remains committed to local employment and inclusive growth within East London.
Long-term social impact commitment
The programme has been developed around a number of key principles, and responds to the untapped opportunity in east London’s young and diverse community, including widening access to creative careers, supporting existing local education infrastructure, improving routes into employment, and ensuring measurable long-term impact for young people across East London. Working alongside partners including Good Growth Hub and Sound Diplomacy, ABBA Voyage will continue to track outcomes and evolve the programme to maximise engagement, skills development and future employment opportunities.
Craig Hartenstine, Group CEO for ABBA Voyagesaid:
“Since ABBA Voyage opened in East London, we’ve been committed to creating meaningful opportunities for the communities around us. This programme is about much more than introducing young people to the creative industries. It’s about helping them build the skills and confidence that can lead to real opportunities in the future. We’re proud of what has already been achieved alongside our partners, and excited to deepen that impact through new mentoring, training and employment pathways in the years ahead.”
Shazia Hussain, CEO of London Legacy Development Corporation said:
“Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park brings together a unique combination of cultural, commercial, educational and community assets. Our focus is on leveraging these to create opportunities for local people, support inclusive growth and strengthen the innovation and creative economy of east London. The next chapter of our partnership with ABBA Voyage reflects this ambition. By connecting young east Londoners with one of the world’s most innovative live entertainment experiences, the programme will help transform early inspiration into tangible career pathways. It shows what is possible when industry leaders, civic partners and local communities come together to unlock opportunity and nurture the next generation of creative talent..”
The Education Programme forms part of ABBA Voyage’s wider social impact strategy, which includes ongoing investment into local communities, youth engagement, employment initiatives and support for the cultural economy surrounding the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The launch event on 3rd June marks the beginning of the next phase of the programme, focused on creating deeper, longer-term opportunities for young people to access careers in music, live entertainment and the wider creative industries.
Q&A with students and Benny / Frida
How did you start the band?
Frida: With love.
Benny: Björn and I were writing songs together for ourselves. We’re not great singers, but we’re okay, and we happen to meet the two ladies, I met Frida, Björn met Agnetha, and they helped us out doing backing vocals on an album Björn and I made together, and we said, well, that sounds a lot better than we do, so why don’t we try to do something. We write music and the women sing, that’s how it started.
The first song was in 1972 called ‘People Need Love’, which we do.
Frida: We were actually girlfriends and boyfriends and eventually we married, so we have a lot of the history together, not only the music, and we’ve known each other now for over 50 years. A long time. Do you know how long 50 years is?
Did you get nervous before the digital avatars performed?
Benny: The hardest thing we had to do is that I had to shave off my beard. I had my beard for 55 years or so, and in order to get those ABBAtars right, we were asked to shave our beards off, and that was the hardest bit, but we were not nervous.
Frida: Do you know why they had to do it? Because you are on stage, you perform your songs, but at the same time you [have] dots all over. You have senders and receivers on costumes you’re wearing, and then you have the camera in front of your face and a helmet on. And then on top of that, they put a lot of black dots on your face. Do you know why? Because of where the muscles are, so when you move your face, when you’re singing, they see exactly where to be able to make good copies of us.
Benny: It took around 1000 people all over the world using what we created there. We worked for four or five weeks, did all the songs, the performance, so to speak, and then they were sitting, and one was doing eyelashes, one was doing nose. There were so many people doing this by hand, so there’s no AI stuff here. This is analog work becoming digital.
About ABBA Voyage
ABBA Voyage opened in May 2022 in the purpose-built ABBA Arena located at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. Redefining the boundaries of live entertainment, this pioneering concert brings one of the biggest pop acts of all time, back to the stage. Blending cutting-edge technology, spectacular lighting, and some of the most beloved songs ever written, ABBA take to the stage in a whole new way alongside a ten-piece live band.
ABBA Voyage has been created with Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The concert is directed by Baillie Walsh and produced by Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson. ABBA Voyage is owned by Goldonder AB, a company founded by Conni Jonsson, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and operated in London by its subsidiary, Aniara Ltd.
ABBA Voyage is now booking until January 2027. For information and best availability of tickets go to www.abbavoyage.com
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About Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
London Legacy Development Corporation is a Mayoral Development Corporation responsible for the development of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – an innovation district where culture, creativity and community converge. Built on the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, its mission is to transform the lives of east Londoners and drive long-term growth and investment across the capital and the UK.
Spread across 560 acres, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park brings together dynamic neighbourhoods, diverse communities, world-class cultural, entertainment and sporting venues – including ABBA Voyage, London Aquatics Centre, London Stadium and Copper Box Arena – leading education and research institutions and a vibrant food and drink scene, all set within expansive parklands, historic waterways and rich biodiversity.
queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk
