Hall to reopen after £13.5m refurbishment

Blackburn's King George's Hall is set to reopen following a £13.5m transformation - with the Halle Orchestra set to perform in a nod to the venue's storied past.

The Halle played at the venue’s official opening on October 21, 1921. Then, almost 3,000 people attended the concert, with programmes costing just one penny each. 

And almost 105 years to the day, the Orchestra will return to the hall for the Grand Civic Reopening on the afternoon of Sunday, October 18. The special event will also feature a drinks reception, with VIPs from across the region attending.

Improvements at the venue include upgrades to the exterior of the grand building as well as new bars, better seating, upgraded bathrooms, improved accessibility, and enhanced sound, with the transformation designed to improve experiences for both performers and visitors while helping safeguard the future of the Grade II listed venue for generations to come.

The transformation has been funded through a combination of government and council investment, with Conlon Construction acting as developer and Cassidy + Ashton as architects.

Councillor Quesir Mahmood, deputy leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and executive member for growth and development, said: "We are now officially on the big countdown to reopening the doors to King George’s Hall following its multi-million-pound transformation – and it is looking seriously impressive.

"King George’s Hall has been at the very heart of the region’s cultural life over the past 10 decades, welcoming world famous artists from Queen and The Beatles to David Bowie and, more recently, Liam Gallagher.

"This reopening is a celebration of that incredible legacy, while also looking firmly to the future.

"Every year King George’s Hall welcomes more than 100,000 visitors and we are absolutely determined to build on that – bringing big names right here to our borough, while supporting our town centre and nighttime economy too.

"The reopening reinforces Blackburn’s growing cultural offer and strengthens the town’s reputation as a destination for arts, culture and live entertainment.

"Indeed, the investment at King George’s Hall is part of more than £50m of new investment in Blackburn’s Cultural Quarter and we can’t wait to share more exciting news on that very soon, too."