Melbourne’s newest performance venue set to raise the velvet curtain
Melbourne’s newest performance venue, the Brunswick Ballroom is ready to open in 2021.
Located in the old Metropolis House on Sydney Road, the newly refurbished space is destined to take the mantle as one of Melbourne’s most dynamic and exciting performance venues.
This extraordinary venue has been reimagined, refurbished and renamed and will feature the best of Australian and international music, cabaret and comedy. The upstairs ballroom accessed via the dramatic staircase features stunning stained glass domes inspired by legendary Australian artist Leonard French before expanding out onto an open-air balcony that takes in the urban streetscape below and the sights of Melbourne’s skyline.
Inspired by the iconic Continental Café of the 1990s in Prahran, the Brunswick Ballroom is soon to become Melbourne’s most eclectic and diverse entertainment and events venue.
Currently undertaking the final touches of refurbishment, the venue is preparing for its first gig on 25 February 2021 with the rebirth spearhead by impresario Andrew Kay AM together with actor and musician Will Ewing who takes on the role of Venue Director.
“After a year of doom, gloom and significant hardship for many in our live performance industry, we are thrilled to have been able create a dynamic new home for our performing artists and audiences to enjoy, ” said Kay.
“The Brunswick Ballroom will be a venue which celebrates the best of live music, cabaret and comedy plus of course, wonderful food and wine. This distinctive venue will present the best Melbourne, Australia and the world has to offer across the full range of live performance genres. Whether it is a live band, a comedian, a classical pianist or a major cabaret star they will all find a new home at the Brunswick Ballroom.”
Eclectic programming commences in February 2021, with the venue hosting legends such as Kate Ceberano, Tim Rogers, Ross Wilson, Brian Cadd, Underground Lovers and David Helfgott. Rising stars Grace Cummings and Ben Mastwyk and Cool Sounds will also don the stage.
D’Arcy Spiller, Girlatones and Bitch Diesel will feature as part of the Brunswick Music Festival which will also include a free gig on Tuesday, 9 March by Loretta and her Boyfriends at the Brunswick Artists’ Bar located downstairs at the new venue. A further line-up as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival will also be announced in the coming weeks.
The Brunswick Ballroom Opening Gala will take place on the 4-5 March 2021, promising to be a celebration not to be missed. Full details and artist line up will be announced shortly.
The rich history of the venue dates back to the 1960s. Once a hat factory, nightclub, a wedding reception centre, French restaurant and most recently music venue The Spotted Mallard, this reincarnation the newly named Brunswick Ballroom offers patrons the chance to combine a great meal with a glass of wine while enjoying a great show!
Seating up to 290 people, this new location combines the best of London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club and New York City institution Joe’s Pub with Melbourne’s own 1990’s icon, The Continental Café, bringing style back to Melbourne’s music scene. Downstairs boasts a secondary space, the Brunswick Artists’ Bar a Sydney Road local, showcasing artwork and acoustic sounds from local artists. With all the charm and atmosphere of a country pub mixed with the furnishing and décor of a sophisticated yet understated stylish Melbourne bar.
Less than 5 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, Sydney Road Brunswick is the longest retail strip in the Southern Hemisphere. The Brunswick Ballroom a celebration of this local precinct and the very heart of Melbourne.
To learn more about this venue, visit Brunswick Ballroom’s website.
