Short answer: darts did not simply move from Lakeside to Alexandra Palace. If you mean the old BDO World Championship, it left Lakeside after the 2019 event and moved to Indigo at The O2 for 2020. If you mean the PDC World Championship that most TV viewers now associate with Christmas darts, that event moved to Alexandra Palace for the 2008 World Championship, but it moved from Circus Tavern, not from Lakeside.
Last checked: 4 July 2026. This guide separates the BDO, PDC and venue-history timelines because the phrase "darts moved from Lakeside" is often used loosely.
The direct answer
The clean answer is this: the BDO World Darts Championship left Lakeside for the 2020 tournament. The long Lakeside run ended after the 2019 BDO World Championship, and the 2020 BDO event was staged at Indigo at The O2 in London.
That is not the same as saying "darts moved from Lakeside to Ally Pally". Alexandra Palace belongs to a different timeline. The PDC World Championship had already been running separately for years and moved to Alexandra Palace for the 2008 World Championship after using Circus Tavern as its main home.
So if someone asks when darts moved from Lakeside, the best reply is: "Do you mean the BDO leaving Lakeside, or the PDC moving to Alexandra Palace?" Those are two different venue stories.
Why this question is confusing
Lakeside became shorthand for world championship darts because it was the home of the BDO World Championship for decades. For many fans, especially those who remember the BBC era, Lakeside was not just a venue. It was the look and sound of televised darts: the Frimley Green stage, the compact room, the formal introductions and the annual January ritual.
Alexandra Palace then became the modern shorthand for world championship darts because the PDC event grew into the dominant televised championship. Big crowds, walk-ons, sponsor branding, rising prize money and a different broadcast rhythm made Ally Pally feel like the centre of the sport.
The confusion comes from talking about "darts" as though there was only one world championship. There was not. By the time Ally Pally became the modern home of the PDC World Championship, the split between the BDO and the PDC had already created separate professional paths.
The BDO route: Lakeside to The O2
The BDO World Championship moved to Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green in 1986 and stayed there through the 2019 edition. That is why Lakeside carries so much weight in darts history. It was not a short stop on the calendar; it was the defining stage for generations of players and viewers.
When people talk about "leaving Lakeside", this is usually the move they mean. The BDO announced that its 2020 World Championship would be staged at Indigo at The O2 rather than Lakeside. That made 2019 the final BDO World Championship at Lakeside.
The move did not create a new golden era for the BDO. The 2020 tournament became the final edition of the BDO World Championship line. That matters because it means the Lakeside question is not only about a venue change. It is also about the end of a long-running organisation's place at the top of darts.
For readers trying to follow older records, it helps to keep the wording precise. "The BDO left Lakeside for 2020" is accurate. "Darts moved from Lakeside to Ally Pally" is not.
The PDC route: Circus Tavern to Alexandra Palace
The PDC route is different. The PDC World Championship began in the 1990s after the professional split. Its early world championship identity was tied to Circus Tavern in Purfleet, not Lakeside.
For the 2008 World Championship, the PDC moved to Alexandra Palace. That is the move most modern fans recognise because Ally Pally became the setting for the sport's biggest annual spectacle. If you watch the PDC World Championship today, the venue story is Circus Tavern to Alexandra Palace.
Alexandra Palace has since become so strongly linked with the PDC World Championship that newer fans can assume it replaced Lakeside directly. It did not. It replaced Circus Tavern as the PDC home. Lakeside belonged to the BDO route.
Alexandra Palace has also remained central to the PDC's long-term plans. Alexandra Palace has stated that the championship is staying there until 2031, with the event moving into the Great Hall from 2026. That reinforces Ally Pally as the modern PDC home, but it still does not make it a direct Lakeside replacement.
What actually changed in 2020?
In practical terms, the 2020 change meant the BDO World Championship was no longer staged in the venue that had defined it for more than 30 years. The move to The O2 gave the event a London setting, but it also exposed how much of the BDO championship's identity had been tied to Lakeside itself.
A venue can carry trust. When a tournament moves, fans do not only notice the address. They notice the stage shape, the crowd sound, the walk-on space, the TV camera positions and the sense of continuity. Lakeside had all of that for the BDO. Removing the tournament from that room removed part of the event's memory.
That is why the wording still matters. If an article says "darts moved from Lakeside", it can flatten the story into one simple relocation. The more useful version is that the BDO's Lakeside era ended, while the PDC's Ally Pally era had already been running for more than a decade.
How to remember it
Use this simple split:
| Question | Best answer |
|---|---|
| When did the BDO leave Lakeside? | After the 2019 event; the 2020 BDO World Championship was at Indigo at The O2. |
| When did the PDC move to Alexandra Palace? | For the 2008 World Championship. |
| Did the PDC move from Lakeside? | No. The PDC route was Circus Tavern to Alexandra Palace. |
| Why do fans mix them up? | Lakeside and Ally Pally are both shorthand for world championship darts, but from different organisations. |
That split also helps when reading about prize money, TV deals, records and tournament format. A Lakeside-era BDO record and an Ally Pally-era PDC record are not automatically part of the same competitive line.
Why the distinction matters
This is not pedantry. It changes how you read darts history. If you mix the BDO and PDC routes together, you can end up comparing titles, venues and eras as though they all happened under one organiser with one continuous championship. That is not how modern professional darts developed.
A player who won at Lakeside was winning the BDO World Championship. A player who won at Alexandra Palace was winning the PDC World Championship. Both are world titles in darts conversation, but they sit in different competitive structures. The organisers, qualification routes, broadcast deals, prize funds and player fields were not the same.
That is why older darts conversations can sound contradictory. A fan might say Lakeside was the spiritual home of world darts, while another says Alexandra Palace is the biggest stage in the sport. Both statements can be true if you understand the route being discussed. Lakeside carries the BDO memory. Ally Pally carries the modern PDC scale.
The same distinction also helps with venue nostalgia. Some fans miss the intimacy of Lakeside because the room felt close to the players and the TV coverage had a different tone. Others prefer Alexandra Palace because it feels bigger, louder and more commercially powerful. Those are not just venue preferences. They reflect two different chapters in how darts was packaged and watched.
Common wrong answers
The least helpful answer is "darts moved to Ally Pally". It sounds simple, but it hides the split. A better answer gives the listener the choice: if they are talking about the BDO, the relevant move is Lakeside to The O2 in 2020; if they are talking about the PDC, the relevant move is Circus Tavern to Alexandra Palace in 2008.
Another wrong answer is "Lakeside closed as a darts venue". That is not the point of this question. The important change was the end of the BDO World Championship's Lakeside era after 2019. The venue name still matters because of its history, but the specific BDO championship line moved away for 2020 and then came to an end.
What this means for darts history
Lakeside remains one of the most important names in darts because of what happened there, not because every version of the sport still runs through it. The venue is attached to names, finals and memories that shaped how darts became a national TV habit.
Alexandra Palace represents the modern commercial scale of the sport. The PDC event is louder, larger and more globally visible. It attracts a different kind of attention and has become the tournament many new fans think of first when they hear "world championship".
Neither venue erases the other. They represent different chapters. Lakeside is the BDO chapter. Alexandra Palace is the PDC chapter. The mistake is treating them as one direct handover.
What venue history teaches home players
The venue story also shows why setup shapes the feel of darts. Lakeside felt intimate because the room, board, walk-on space and crowd were tightly connected. Alexandra Palace feels different because the scale is bigger. At home, the same principle applies in miniature: the board area changes how the game feels.
If you are building a proper practice space, start with a clear dartboard, add dartboard surrounds for wall protection, and use dartboard stands where drilling is not practical. Keep spare flights, stems and setup tools in darts accessories, and use consistent darts or dart sets so practice is not distorted by constant equipment changes.
Visual guide: how to apply this at the board
Related reading
If you are trying to make sense of the bigger tournament landscape, start with our guide to the biggest darts competition in the UK. For format context, the guide to how many sets are in a darts match explains why world championship darts can feel different from ordinary legs of 501. For more background on the sport's roots, read which country invented darts.
Sources used
- Weekly Dartscast report on the BDO moving the 2020 World Championship to Indigo at The O2.
- Alexandra Palace on the PDC World Championship's move to Ally Pally.
- Alexandra Palace confirmation of the championship staying until 2031.
Bottom line
The BDO World Championship left Lakeside for the 2020 tournament. The PDC World Championship moved to Alexandra Palace for the 2008 tournament, but it came from Circus Tavern. That is the distinction to remember: Lakeside did not become Ally Pally. They are two different world championship routes.
FAQ
When did the BDO leave Lakeside?
The BDO World Championship left Lakeside after the 2019 edition. The 2020 BDO World Championship was held at Indigo at The O2 in London.
When did the PDC move to Alexandra Palace?
The PDC World Championship moved to Alexandra Palace for the 2008 World Championship. Before that, the PDC event was associated with Circus Tavern.
Did darts move from Lakeside to Ally Pally?
Not directly. That phrase mixes two different organisations. Lakeside was the BDO route. Ally Pally is the PDC route.
Why is Lakeside still famous in darts?
Lakeside hosted the BDO World Championship for decades and became strongly associated with televised darts history, major finals and the pre-PDC-dominant era of the sport.
