Bristol’s home of music since 1867 turned 150 in September 2017.
A landmark venue and historic meeting place for the city, the Hall has embraced challenge and change with one thing in mind: to keep amazing live music playing.
Twice ravaged by fire and remodelled four times, we have nevertheless continued to connect generations of artists with thousands of audiences for millions of unforgettable musical encounters.
Our story is bound up with the story of music itself: the seismic shifts in sounds and styles that have defined modern culture have played out – in spectacular fashion – on our stage. From grand choirs and orchestras to grandees of the swing age, from the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll to the great family tree of genres they inspired. You name it, we’ve been moved by it: from punk and reggae innovators to indie heroes and the Bristol sound, from globe-trotting pop stars to global rhythms and folk traditions, from screaming Beatlemania to the Starman and beyond!
First gigs and first dances – perhaps even first kisses – millions of timeless moments inspired by the music that has come alive in our venue. Legends have given their all for us but it is you, our audiences, that have made so many moments to remember.
We invited you to share your memories – and make a few more – at our special birthday celebration and programme of events, as we officially hit the big 1-5-0.
We opened our doors to all of Bristol to join us for our free 150th Birthday Bash on Wednesday 20 September, as friends from across the city and the country helped us celebrate with an evening of pop-up performances throughout the building to create a unique party atmosphere – scroll down to find out more. Plus, throughout August, September and October there was a special programme of events at which to don your dancing shoes and join the party.
Before all that, we began our festivities in July with a city-wide golden ticket giveaway and a sold out outdoor party of orchestral proportions as Outlook Orchestra + Roots Manuva (Live) took to the Harbourside for a celebration of Sound System Culture in collaboration with Outlook Festival. Relive it by checking out the photos and video below.
Scroll down to the News section articles and announcements.
Scroll down to the What’s On section to find out more about the anniversary programme.
We celebrate our 150th year with ambitious plans now under way to transform the venue into a world class concert hall by 2021.
For more on our history and the legendary acts that have performed here, please visit www.bristolbeacon.org/history
Did you see The Beatles in ‘64? Or meet your other half Bob Marley in ’76? Share your inspiring memories of Colston Hall with us....
Take a step into our archives to discover who played on your birthday at Colston Hall....
https://youtu.be/maoQDvOytOs Colston Hall first opened its doors to the public 150 years ago on the 20th September 1867, after The Colston Hall Com...
What better way to celebrate Colston Hall's 150th birthday than to fill every co...
As the date of our 150th anniversary draws closer we've been delving through the...
Last Saturday Outlook Orchestra put on a show of epic proportions to celebrate C...
Narrowly escaping the relentless campaign of air raids all over Bristol during W...
On Friday 21 July The Outlook Orchestra performed at the Lloyds Amphitheatre on Bristol Harbourside with some of the UK's best musicians to celebrate ...
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On Wednesday 23 September 2020 Colston Hall changed its name to Bristol Beacon.
Our new name is just the first step, it is about more than the sign above our door. Click below to find out more about how we’re changing, watch our name announcement, and discover how we want everyone to share in the joy of live music.