North Melbourne Town Hall

The North Melbourne Town Hall seems to be in a perpetual state of construction. At least, whenever I visit it is.
I’ve performed there many times over the last decade. My old orchestra used to use it as a mid-​year concert venue, so I’m very used to the acoustics and the many places there are to get lost/​hide from the grownups.
The layout has a changed a little since I was young — it’s less suited to big orchestral gigs and more to Fringe Festival shows, but it’s still a great venue. The architecture is lovely — very expansive, and the hall itself is white and bright and pleasant.

SUCH a great venue. I went for the Fringe Festival parties, and just had a blast.
It’s a big gothic building, almost like a church on the outside, with a main hall that’s just cavernous. Great stage and they set up two bars along the side of the room. Hardly ever a long line for a space this size is a testament to the good (hard) workers.
The vibe of the room when set up, with some tables in the middle for standing with your drinks and chatting, and ample space up front to dance, reminded me of the old warehouse nightclubs of a much larger city. Gave me a bit of NYC flashback of the late 90’s /​early 00’s…great party where you meet new people very easily.

The hub of the Melbourne Fringe Festival, the Arts House-​run Town Hall really comes alive once a year when Northy gets packed out with young Fringe types. And considering North Melbourne is pretty quiet most of the time, it makes a huge impact on the area, turning Errol St into a busy and colourful place.
The inside of the Town Hall is perfect for events like this: the Main Hall seats up to 400 people, the Supper Room seats about 120 and the Meeting Room seats about 40. There’s also a Rehearsal Room and a Warehouse space. I’ve also been to a one-​off music event here in the Main Hall, with makeshift bars and beer-​hall style tables set up down the back and it was a really cool space for it.
Unlike the Fitzroy Town Hall, you can rely on the clock too.