The newly refurbished BRUNSWICK BALLROOM is located in the old Metropolis House on Sydney Road and 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 February 25th 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 to create a dynamic new home for our performing artists and audiences to enjoy. The BRUNSWICK BALLROOM will be a venue that 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.” said Andrew Kay.
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 of the newly named BRUNSWICK BALLROOM offers patrons the chance to combine a great meal with a glass of wine while enjoying a great show!
Join us in Melbourne as we celebrate the coming together of great music, live shows with wonderful food and service. The BRUNSWICK BALLROOM, seating up to 290 people, 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 5km from Melbourne’s CBD, Sydney Road Brunswick is the longest retail strip in the Southern Hemisphere. A colourful blue-collar history filled with countless characters and legends. From its formative years, Sydney Road has celebrated diversity, with a myriad of cultures, religions, and ethnicities. Boasting languages, atmospheres, and flavours from around the world, multicultural to the core, Sydney Road, Brunswick is both quintessentially Melbourne and a go-to destination for locals and visitors alike. The BRUNSWICK BALLROOM is a celebration of this local precinct and the very heart of Melbourne.
Andrew Kay and Will Ewing are joined by Melbourne music scene hall of fame Mary Mihelakos as Music Booker, Emma Calverley Comedy Producer booking Comedy and theatrical producer Liza McLean with Tinderbox Productions who is curating the cabaret line up. Tori Bicknell rounds out the management team as Director Food and Beverage creating a premier venue for live performances and events upstairs in the BRUNSWICK BALLROOM and the Brunswick Artists’ Bar downstairs.
BRUNSWICK BALLROOM LAUNCHING FROM FEBRUARY 25TH, 2021
TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT BRUNSWICKBALLROOM.COM.AU
CURRENT PERFORMANCE LINE UP AS BELOW:
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25TH – POP CRIMES
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH – GRACE CUMMINGS & HER BAND
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27TH – BRIAN CADD
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28TH – COOL SOUNDS ALBUM LAUNCH
WEDNESDAY MARCH 3RD – TIM ROGERS
THURSDAY MARCH 4TH & FRIDAY MARCH 5TH – BRUNSWICK BALLROOM OPENING GALA
SATURDAY MARCH 6TH – GIRLATONES ALBUM LAUNCH as part of the Brunswick Music Festival
SUNDAY MARCH 7TH & MARCH 14TH – BACK AT THE BALLROOM
WEDNESDAY MARCH 10TH – D’ARCY SPILLER as part of the Brunswick Music Festival
THURSDAY MARCH 11TH – DAVID HELFGOTT IN RECITAL
FRIDAY MARCH 12TH – BITCH DIESEL as part of the Brunswick Music Festival
SATURDAY MARCH 13TH – ROSS WILSON & THE PEACENIKS
THURSDAY MARCH 18TH & FRIDAY MARCH 19TH – KATE CEBERANO
SATURDAY MARCH 20TH – UNDERGROUND LOVERS
SUNDAY MARCH 21ST – BEN MASTWYK & HIS MILLIONS
FRIDAY MAY 14TH – JEFF MARTIN
