World Darts Championship Official Hospitality: Pitch Experiences and PDC Extend Partnership into a New Era

Pitch Experiences and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) are proud to mark three years of their exclusive hospitality partnership for the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, a relationship that has grown alongside one of the most remarkable periods of expansion in the tournament's history.

The two organisations first put pen to paper in 2023 on a five-year deal running through to 2030 with Pitch Experiences becoming the first official and exclusive hospitality partner for the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. What followed has been three years of growth for both the sport and the partnership.

Neil Bailey, CEO of Pitch Experiences, commented: "This is an incredibly important partnership with the PDC. It not only provides our business with a showcase, first-class sports event to offer clients, but it also enables the World Darts Championship to continue on its drive to reach new audiences. Three years in, we are more invested in this event than ever, and the best is still ahead of us."

Matt Porter, PDC Chief Executive, commented: "We’ve worked with Pitch International for a number of years, so when the acquisition of what is now Pitch Experiences came about, we knew there’d be even more scope to work together. This five-year deal enables us to collaborate closely and bring even more fans of darts, as well as newcomers, into our great sport. By showcasing darts in the best way possible at the sport’s biggest tournament, I have no doubt this will be incredibly successful for everyone involved.”

Since the partnership between Pitch Experiences and the PDC began, the World Darts Championship has undergone a transformation in scale, prize fund and cultural reach. Between the 2024/25 and 2025/26 tournaments, the winner's purse doubled to £1 million, with the total prize fund expanding from £2.5 million to £5 million. Tickets for the 2025/26 tournament sold out during the pre-sale window. Hospitality was the only guaranteed way in and demand reflected it.

Luke Littler was no small part of that, retaining his title in January 2026 and becoming the first million-pound World Champion after defeating Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final. His rise to prominence as the youngest player to ever lift a World Championship trophy at the age of 16 has pulled a significant new audience into the sport, widely referred to as the "Littler effect." That shift has been felt directly in Pitch Experiences’ hospitality demand for corporate bookings, with companies increasingly trading traditional Christmas parties for a day or night at Alexandra Palace during the festive season.

Matt Porter, PDC Chief Executive comments: “We have seen interest levels in the hospitality offering almost double since our partnership with Pitch Experiences and the quality of the experience has been significantly improved building on what we were already doing. We are now looking at other venues and tournaments where we can look to work together.”

Pitch Experiences' offering has grown in step with the tournament. The 501 Lounge, Pitch Experiences' exclusive hospitality space in Alexandra Palace's Panorama Room, welcomed more than 12,800 guests across the 2025/26 season, delivering premium food, drink and entertainment, including curated three-course menus from guest chefs such as Chef Roy Ner for Gold and Platinum package holders, private mixologists, all-inclusive bars and table service that follows guests through to the main arena when the session starts. 

From nine-dart challenges with dart referee legend Russ Bray, to stage appearances from Masters of Ceremonies John McDonald and Lewis Jones, the lounge has an energy all of its own. Add to that a live sing along or two and the chance to rub shoulders with football legends, global artists, reality TV and YouTube stars, the 501 Lounge has become as much a part of the Ally Pally experience as the sport itself.

In December 2025, the PDC and Alexandra Palace announced a new deal that sees the historic North London venue remain the home of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship until at least 2031 which gives partners, hospitality guests and the sport's growing global fanbase a destination to look forward to for years to come.

This next chapter of the partnership coincides with the most significant move in the championship's modern history. From the 2026/27 season onwards, the World Darts Championship will move into Alexandra Palace's Great Hall from the West Hall, boosting the tournament's total capacity to around 180,000, an increase of more than 70,000 fans and 5,000 spectators per session.

What that means for the 501 Lounge experience is something Pitch Experiences is currently working on and the early signs point to the most ambitious edition yet.

Neil Bailey comments: "The partnership extension is fantastic news for darts and a testament to the incredible growth of the sport's flagship event. The move to the Great Hall in 2026 will allow us to deliver an even more spectacular hospitality experience. Every year since 2023, we've focused on delivering an unmatched experience, and as demand has increased year-on-year, we've stepped up to meet it."

Interested in official hospitality packages for the 2026/27 World Darts Championship? Contact the Pitch Experiences team to register your interest and be among the first to receive details when packages are released.