A bigger room on the same hill
The darts has a new home inside its old one. Alexandra Palace has staged the PDC World Championship since the 2007/08 edition, always in the smaller West Hall. For 2026/27 the tournament takes the Great Hall, the palace’s largest space, for the first time.
It runs from 11 December 2026 to the final on 3 January 2027. That is more than three weeks of sessions across the Christmas and New Year stretch. The PDC publishes the dates, venue details and ticket links on its official site.
The building itself carries real weight. Alexandra Palace opened in 1873, burned down sixteen days later and was rebuilt by 1875. In 1936 the BBC began the world’s first regular high-definition television service from its south-east tower. The mast still stands above the roofline.
What the Great Hall changes
The Great Hall is a vast Victorian space under a high arched roof. At its far end stands the Willis organ, one of the largest pipe organs built in Victorian Britain. Setting a darts stage in that room changes the scale of the whole event.
More seats means more people inside each session than the West Hall ever held. The format inside stays recognisable: a raised stage, two boards side by side, walk-ons through the crowd and the giant screens showing every dart. The noise has a lot more roof to bounce off.
For anyone who has been before, the familiar routes through the palace still apply. The building’s east and west wings, the terraces and the park outside are all where they were.
Getting up Muswell Hill
Ally Pally sits on a ridge in the borough of Haringey, between Wood Green and Muswell Hill. The climb is steep, and every route ends with a short haul uphill.
The main options:
- Alexandra Palace station: Great Northern trains from Moorgate and King’s Cross stop here, then it is a walk up through the park.
- Wood Green (Piccadilly line): the closest Tube station. The W3 bus runs from here up to the palace.
- Finsbury Park (Victoria and Piccadilly lines, plus rail): the W3 also starts here, which suits anyone coming from the Victoria line.
- Taxi or rideshare: common after evening sessions, though the queue on the hill builds once the hall empties.
The path from the station crosses open parkland with little shelter. In December, that walk is cold, wet and dark after evening sessions, so a proper coat earns its place.
The fancy dress and the singing
Nowhere else in sport looks quite like a darts crowd. Large groups come in matching costumes: superheroes, Christmas elves, Santas, bananas, whole stag parties dressed as one cartoon. It is a long-running Ally Pally tradition, and the TV cameras seek it out.
Home-made signs are part of it too. Fans hold up cardboard messages aimed at the cameras, from player names to jokes and greetings home. A sign that gets on screen counts as a small win.
The music is the other ritual. Between legs and during breaks, the hall sings along to “Chase the Sun” by Planet Funk. Each player’s walk-on song is loud and is often chanted for the rest of the match. Experienced fans learn the big walk-ons before they go.
How a session at Ally Pally works
Tickets are sold per session rather than per day. A session usually covers several matches back to back, with afternoon and evening sessions on many days. Regulars treat each one as a full night out, not a quick visit.
Floor seating is mostly at long shared tables. Drinks get carried back from the bars in stacked cups, and strangers end up singing next to each other. Tiered seating further back gives a cleaner view of the boards but less of the party.
A few habits that regulars follow:
- Stay seated while a player is throwing. Stewards hold people at the aisles until the end of a leg, and moving mid-throw gets loud disapproval.
- Move during breaks. The gap between sets is when the bar and toilet queues move fastest.
- Pay by card. The bars and food stalls inside the venue run largely on card and contactless.
- Give the big screens your attention. From most seats the board is tiny, and the screens are how the crowd follows every treble.
The PDC’s site sets out the session list and the venue’s entry and bag rules.
Christmas at the darts
Timing is what sets this tournament apart. The early rounds run through December, when offices across Britain hold their Christmas parties. Many groups book an Ally Pally session as theirs, which explains all the Santa hats.
In earlier editions, play stopped for a short break around Christmas Day and then came back for the latter rounds. The closing stretch moves into the New Year, with the 2026/27 final on 3 January 2027.
The crowd changes as the tournament goes on. Early sessions feel like a big party with darts on in the background. By the final rounds the hall is following every dart closely, and the cheers for a nine-darter or a 170 checkout are louder for it.
Around the palace
Arriving before the doors open is a good excuse to look around the hill. The south terrace in front of the palace has one of the widest free views over London. The towers of the City and Canary Wharf line the horizon.
Alexandra Park spreads down the slope below, with a boating lake on the east side. Muswell Hill’s Broadway, a short walk or bus ride west, has pubs and restaurants in Edwardian parades. Many fans eat there before a session. Wood Green, at the bottom of the hill, has more chain restaurants and the Tube.
Visitors from outside London usually stay in central London and travel up by train or Tube. That trip is easy from King’s Cross and the Piccadilly line corridor.
Frequently asked questions
When is the PDC World Darts Championship 2026/27?
It runs from 11 December 2026 to the final on 3 January 2027 at Alexandra Palace in north London. The PDC publishes the full session schedule on its official site.
Where is the venue and how do I get there?
The tournament is held in the Great Hall of Alexandra Palace, on a hill between Wood Green and Muswell Hill. You can take a Great Northern train from Moorgate or King's Cross to Alexandra Palace station, then walk up through the park. Or take the Piccadilly line to Wood Green and catch the W3 bus up the hill.
Is this the same venue as previous years?
It's the same building, but a different room. Ally Pally has hosted the championship since the 2007/08 edition in its West Hall. The 2026/27 edition moves into the much larger Great Hall for the first time.
How long is a session and what is it like?
Tickets cover one session, and each session has several matches back to back. Most people treat it as a full afternoon or evening out. On the floor you sit at shared tables, and fancy dress, home-made signs and sing-alongs to "Chase the Sun" are all part of the experience.
What is there to do nearby?
The south terrace of Alexandra Palace has a wide view over London. Alexandra Park and its boating lake are just below. Muswell Hill Broadway, a short walk or bus ride west, has pubs and restaurants where many fans eat before a session.
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