The Gladiators Experience is open! Here’s what to expect

Contenders ready... Everything you need to know before stepping into the arena

When Gladiators returned to our screens in 2024, it not only reignited a fire in those who grew up on the hit show in the 90s but a new generation too, opening their eyes to an unmatched, high-octane form of Saturday night escapism. Attracting 6 million viewers on its first episode, the revival was a smash in every sense, with new Gladiators such as Nitro, Fury and Legend bringing back the tongue-in-cheek superhero charm with a blow.

Now, Gladiators fans have the opportunity to experience the action like never before and become real life Contenders at the Gladiators Experience opens at the NEC, Birmingham this weekend. This 100,000 square foot space features classic events including Duel, Hang Tough, and of course The Eliminator.

Running from Saturday 2 May until Monday 31 August 2026, Gladiators Experience offers one of the best action-packed day trips of the summer. In the days leading up to its launch, we headed down to experience it ourselves, guiding you through every step, jump and dive of the way.

Contenders ready…

Getting your tickets

The Gladiator Experience runs from 2 May – 31 August 2026, and you’ll need to book online in advance. You can select an available date and time slot on the calendar here and purchase either a standard or VIP ticket. Both standard and VIP tickets are available for Adult Contenders (16+) and Junior Contenders (5+), or even as a Family Contender group (2-8 people). Of course, if you just want to get a glimpse of the action or show support for a loved one, Spectator tickets are also available.

Standard tickets get you 75 minutes of play in the Gladiators Experience events, entry to the Vault and Archive where you can immerse yourself into the history of the show, plus of course access to the food court, viewing areas and merch store. VIP tickets include all of this, plus early access to the venue, an official Contender uniform and medal, and a video highlight reel of your time in the experience.

In addition to all of this, there will be the option to attend Meet & Greet sessions with real life Gladiators, with three sessions a day. Access to these sessions can be added as an extra when booking tickets. More information on tickets and Meet & Greets here.

Getting there

The Gladiators Experience is held in Hall 12 at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham. The best way to get there is via train, seeing as Birmingham International station and the NEC are directly connected. We arrived from outside of the city, and changing at Birmingham New Street was super easy with just a short 10 minute ride between them. Once you’re at the NEC, follow signs for Gladiators Experience for a short journey on foot.

You can also reach the NEC by National Express, or if you’re local you could use the West Midlands Bus Service.

The NEC does have parking facilities, but this is not included in your Gladiators Experience ticket.

Arriving

Here’s where it starts to get exciting. Arrive 15 minutes or so before your allotted time. To the right of the entrance there’s a cloakroom that’s free to use for all Contenders. You’ll need to leave baggage here before going, so if you’re planning on changing into sporty clothes, now is the time to get them out so you can get changed in the changing rooms inside (there are other lockers in here to keep clothes and personal valuables safe). Only those with Spectator tickets are allowed a phone or camera, so give it to them if you want some personal footage.

Once entrance staff have scanned your ticket, you’ll get given a special wristband that tracks your progress throughout the experience. Walk through the halls and a member of staff will get you to register with your wristband; this is where you decide your Contender name. You can, of course, just use your own name or nickname, but feel free to choose something in the spirit of the show like Wrath or Behemoth.

Next up, the Gladiators Experience staff will kit you out with protective gear: knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet (the soft shell type, not the hard shell ones like you’d wear on your bike). If you don’t have a VIP ticket but fancy an official Contender Uniform, you can buy one of these now too. Obviously, if you’re wearing your own kit, make sure it’s fairly sporty, flexible and comfortable as you won’t want to be climbing up a rope ladder or swinging from a zip-wire in a pair of jeans now, would you?

Head on into the changing rooms and when you’re ready, a massive warm up area awaits where you can stretch, familiarise yourself with some of the equipment or even jump on a treadmill for a quick jog if you want. There’s no pressure to do a big workout, as long as you feel limber and ready for a physical challenge then what are we waiting for?

The Eliminator

You have 75 minutes of play in the Gladiators Experience, and you can tackle each event in whichever order you please. So while on the TV show The Eliminator was saved for the finale, it’s recommended to take it on first while you’re still carrying all that excited energy. The Eliminator is the first event you’ll see after coming out from the changing area, and what a view it is.

Taking it on as either a head-to-head race or a timed challenge by yourself, you’ll jump, dive, crash and zip through nine obstacles before running up the Travelator and flying through the swing doors.

As we launched through this final wall and into the foamy comfort of the crash mats, our hearts were still racing when we saw the completion time of 2 and half minutes. Honestly, it feels a lot quicker than that, but we were happy to have completed it in one attempt. Seeing the day’s best score at 34 seconds shortly after, however, was humbling to say the least. Thankfully we were assured that the score came from an actual Gladiator, the winner of Season Two no less, Joe Fishburn. Thankfully he was a good sport and shared some expert tips…

Joe Fishburn aka The Gladiator Slayer’s top tips for conquering The Eliminator

Stay In control!

“The eliminator requires focus and making sure every movement between obstacles are controlled and correct! A big mistake can massively slow you up and cause even potentially injury. Make sure you have done your research and follow the instructions before you do it. They will be your best friend.”
Run your own race!

“Your aim is to get yourself around that course as fast as possible. Try not to let your opponent or their progress get in your head! The eliminator can be won or lost at any moment. Focus on you and how you can improve as you go around the course.”
Believe in yourself!

“You are getting to take on the most exciting and famous obstacle course in the world, take that in! It’s tough and it’ll challenge you but if you believe you can do it and you are halfway there!”

For Junior Contenders and those with Family tickets, staff will direct you to the Junior Eliminator – just as challenging but sized appropriately.

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A post shared by Joe Fishburn (@joeyfishburn)

Duel

While standing on an elevated disk waiting to hit another Contender off of theirs with a big padded stick isn’t what most would call relaxing, after the adrenaline rush of the Eliminator we were quite grateful to stand still and catch our breath for a moment as the referees explained the rules.

Duel is a head-to-head battle, so if you’re in a group you’ll need to pair up, or if you’re a solo Contender, you can just notify a member of staff and they’ll happily pair you up with someone of a similar build and size. You’ve got 30 seconds (feels longer than it sounds) to knock the other off with your pugil stick (feels harder than it sounds). Aim for the legs to knock your opponent off balance!

Junior Contenders and Family ticket holders can head to Junior Duel for this one.

The Wall

Six of you will line up in front of a towering climbing wall, all attached to a harness and tension line so if you lose your grip, don’t worry, you won’t go anywhere. The aim is to reach the top and hit the red button as fast as you can, which will determine your place on the leaderboard. Once you’ve pressed the button at the top, don’t do what we did and try and climb back down – take a breath and let go and you’ll gently trail back down the wall.

The Wall is for everyone – if you’re brave enough!

Unleash

This event is for the especially speedy Contenders. Four of you will race against each other on this racetrack, conquering obstacles in your stride before a final leap to grab the flag. Unleash is open to both Adult and Junior Contenders.

Hang Tough

Tough by name, tough by nature. Though there won’t be a Gladiator trying to wrench you down to the floor, we still think many will find this event the hardest to complete, requiring not just an iron grip but a mastery of momentum and timing. Two winning strategies seemed to be either pulling your self up and holding it if you have the core strength, or hanging entirely to reduce stress on the arms and focussing on the timing as you try traverse the hoops to the end to hit that red button.

This one is for everyone, but there are a few Hang Tough courses to choose from depending on your height.

The End

Once your 75 minutes of event action is up, it’s time to check the leaderboards, where you’ll be placed thanks to the tracking wristband. If you have a VIP ticket, you’ll be given your medal and sent your personal video highlights reel, otherwise you purchase these alongside lots of other merch such as t-shirts, foam hands and other Gladiators Experience merch. After getting changed, drop your protective gear in the designated return bins.

You can then take a look back at the history of Gladiators in the Archive, and take a few photo opportunities with some props and staging in the Vault. If you’re feeling peckish after all that action, you can head to the refreshments area, where you can re-energise with tasty plates like steak and chips or sweet potato and chickpea curry.