Colston Hall Launches 150th Anniversary with Beer, Parties and Giveaways

Colston Hall, Bristol’s largest music venue, has announced the first details of their 150th birthday celebrations including a Bath Ales brewed beer, theatrical tours of the venue, a free birthday bash and a treasure trail of 21 golden tickets hidden around the city.

Celebrating 150 years of music history, Colston Hall will host a free 150th Birthday Bash on Wednesday 20th September, exactly 150 years on from when the doors first opened.

The free event will see a complete takeover of the building to which everyone is invited, giving people the chance to explore every corner of the building, stumbling across musicians, DJs, installations and projections, as acts pop up to create a unique party atmosphere.

As well as the Birthday Bash on Wednesday 20th September, the celebrations will continue with the Big Anniversary Sing with BBC Radio Bristol on Saturday 23 September to which all singers are invited to bring their spirit alive by being part of a massed choir of hundreds of voices. Ticket prices vary and will be on general release from Friday (7th July). On Saturday 7 October, Bristol’s music scene takes over as a mass of Bristol’s bands, DJs and record labels, including This Is The Kit, Fantasy Orchestra, Qu Junktions, ThisisDA, Susso and No Go Stop, as well as some friends from further afield, will take control of the venue. Tickets cost just £13.50 including booking fee and will be on general release from Friday (7th July).

And kicking things off, taking place each Sunday between Sunday 20th August and Sunday 3rd September, Bakehouse Factory’s Hall of Memories will take visitors on an immersive, theatrical journey of Colston Hall’s past. These exclusive tours will offer just 20 people at a time an intimate adventure of memorable moments and colourful characters from Colston Hall’s 150 year history. The tours are interactive so expect audience participation. Tickets for these tours will cost just £12.50 and £8 for under-16s including booking fee and will be on general release from Friday (7th July).

Louise Mitchell, Chief Executive of Bristol Music Trust which runs Colston Hall, commented: “The Hall’s 150th anniversary is a key moment to celebrate Bristol’s rich music culture. Generations of artists and audiences have come together in the building to make incredible music and memories and this September we want to open the doors and invite the city to join us for a huge birthday party and special programme of events.”

To mark the launch of the anniversary programme, 21 golden tickets will be hidden around the city. Three different ticket types are out there to be found. Golden tickets offer the finder access to a gig of their choice between 1 September 2017 and 31 December 2017 plus guaranteed access to the 150th Birthday Bash on Wednesday 20 September, while special commemorative tickets, which feature a legendary act that has previously played at the venue, will offer the finder access to a gig of their choice between 1 September 2017 and 31 December 2017 as well as guaranteed access to the 150th Birthday Bash and a gift pack of Colston Hall celebration ale.

Amongst the golden tickets will be a very special Platinum Pass. The very lucky finder will be offered tickets to an unlimited number of gigs of their choice from 1 September 2017 until June 2018, plus guaranteed access to the 150th Birthday Bash and a gift pack of celebration ale.

The golden tickets will be hidden around the city and be available to find from Friday 7 July. Clues will be released on the Colston Hall website and the venue’s social media channels. On finding a ticket, the finder should take a photo of themselves with the ticket and post on either Twitter, tagging @Colston_Hall, or Facebook and Instagram tagging @ColstonHall and using the hashtag #ColstonHall150. The golden tickets then just need to be handed into the Colston Hall Box Office to exchange for gig tickets.

As part of the celebration, Bath Ales, the award-winning regional brewers has collaborated with Colston Hall to launch a bottled ale to celebrate the anniversary. The 3.9% ABV 150th anniversary limited edition beer has been released to commemorate the occasion, and the easy-drinking pale ale will be available from Colston Hall’s bars from 1 July.

Colston Hall first opened its doors to the public on the 20th September 1867, after The Colston Hall Company bought the land from Colston Boy’s School in 1861 to fulfil their vision of building a concert hall in the city. The Hall has seen four iterations in its 60 years, with the fourth and present Colston Hall opening in 1951.

In addition to the anniversary celebrations, 2017 will also mark a pivotal point in the Hall’s transformation to make the venue one of the best arts and learning facilities in the country.

For more information about the 150th anniversary events, including 150th Birthday Bash and for terms and conditions of the golden ticket giveaway, please visit www.colstonhall.org/colston-hall-150.