Grand Slam of Darts returns to Wolverhampton: Everything you need to know about the annual carnival of darts
The Grand Slam of Darts will provide a week of darting action, amusing and creative costumes and a feeling of fun for those in attendance.
The Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton has become one of the most popular events in the darts calendar and an event which brings in thousands of people every year.
The Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts has become one of the highlights of the year for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and one of the events which brings together the best players in the world.
With world champions, majors winners and those looking to cause a shock all competing, it will be a week-long fiesta of darts in front of large and noisy crowds at Aldersley Stadium in Wolverhampton.
The first session begins on Saturday, November 14 at 1pm and will run throughout the week until finals day on Sunday, November 22, so we have taken a look at what people can expect from a week of tungsten tossing action.
What is the Grand Slam of Darts?
The Grand Slam of Darts is a darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation and is known as the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts for sponsorship purposes.
The PDC used to invite the best performing players from its rival, the British Darts Organisation (BDO), until the BDO went into liquidation in September 2020.
Since the 2015 edition of the Grand Slam, the tournament is classified as a ranking-tournament, being a non-ranking event at previous editions.
The reigning champion is Luke Littler, who beat Luke Humphries 16 legs to 11 in the 2025 final, and the winner in 2026 will win the Eric Bristow trophy and £200,000 in prize money.
Where in Wolverhampton has it taken place?
Up until 2017, the tournament was staged each November at the Civic Hall since it began in 2007.
After the Civic Hall and Wulfrun Hall were closed for renovation work in 2018, the tournament moved to Aldersley Stadium, taking place inside the massive sports hall, with Gerwyn Price beating Gary Anderson to win the first edition of the tournament at Aldersley.
Since then, the tournament has remained at Aldersley, apart from the Covid-affected tournament in 2020, which was played behind closed doors at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry.
It returned back to Aldersley in 2021 and has remained there even after the reopening of the Halls, with PDC chief executive Matt Porter saying the PDC could do more with the venue.
He said: “We'll be staying at Aldersley for the Grand Slam. We feel it's a more suitable venue for the event now as we can accommodate more people at tables, which is what the crowd want.
"We're speaking regularly to Wolverhampton Council as they're putting a lot of investment into that venue, looking to upgrade it, and looking to have us as part of that.
"We've got a very strong relationship with them, they love having the Grand Slam, they know it's good for the profile of the city and we know it's the right city to host that event.
"We feel that Aldersley is the place for it to be and, with the improvements that are looking to be made there over the next couple of years, could be a top venue.”
How many sessions are there and how many seats are available?
There will be 12 sessions taking place throughout the week, with two each on the first Saturday and Sunday at 1pm and 7pm, all featuring eight best-of-nine-leg matches.
On Monday and Tuesday, there will be one session of eight matches each, starting at 7pm, then four best-of-19-legs second round matches each on Wednesday and Thursday, both at 7pm, two best-of-31-legs quarterfinals on Friday and Saturday, then two best-of-31-legs semi-finals at 1pm on Sunday and the best-of-31-legs final at 7.30pm on Sunday.
Each session will allow up to 2,000 people, either on tables or tiered seating at the back of the arena, with large screens showing the action on stage.
What road closures are in place around Aldersley during the week?
While there won’t be any road closures in place on the roads around the venue, there will be strict no-parking measures enforced along Aldersley Road, as well as on adjoining roads, meaning that no parking will be allowed on the streets.
For those looking to park at Aldersley Stadium, proof of parking will be required upon entry to the grounds of the stadium.
How much does a ticket cost and where can I get one?
The event is almost sold out, but any remaining tickets are available via the official PDC website.
For the opening weekend, the prices are a table seat for £48.60 and £37.80 for a tiered seat, while over the rest of the week from Monday to Sunday, a table seat is £43.20 and £32.40 for a tiered seat.
There is "limited parking on site" for each session, with car parking tickets costing £13 per session.
Shuttle buses will run from the city centre to Aldersley at intervals before each session and return after the sessions, with a return ticket costing £5 per person.
What is available to eat and drink at the event?
The venue will have a bar with multiple pumps on at the back of the arena, behind the tiered seating, and a queueing system which usually doesn't take long.
A large team from the PDC works to install the stage, set up tables and seating and fully stock the bars and merchandise tables ahead of the start of the tournament.
On average, a beer at a PDC event will cost around £7.25 for a pint or £29 for a four-pint jug of beer.
In terms of food, these will include the Costa Coffee Unit at Aldersley, then a number of takeaway vendors in the area outside next to the athletics track.
Who can I expect to see playing at the event?
The tournament regularly features the top names in the darting world, as well as also providing players on the tour who have won development tournaments and challenger events with an opportunity to qualify.
It has extended from 32 players to 48 this year, with 24 qualifying places filled by finalists and winners from PDC televised events since the 2025 Grand Slam of Darts.
This includes defending Grand Slam champion and current World Champion Luke Littler, as well as past Grand Slam winners in Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price and perennial tournament winners in Jonny Clayton, James Wade and Rob Cross.
They will be joined by the winners of the Challenge Tour, Development Tour, North American Championship, Women's Series, Asian Championship, Nordic & Baltic Championship and ANZ Premier League.
Winners of European Tour and Players Championship events will then be used to take the number of qualifiers to 40, while the final eight places are filled by those who advance from the Tour Card Holder qualifier on the eve of the tournament.
The group format has also changed, with 16 groups of three players and the winner of each group qualifying for the last 16.
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