Constructed as the West Melbourne Stadium in 1913, Festival Hall is a historic concert and sporting venue near the Docklands. It originally served as a venue for professional boxing and wrestling events before being rebuilt in time for the 1956 Olympics and renamed Festival Hall due to its increasing use as a live music venue.
Learn about some of the sporting legends who have appeared at Festival Hall, including Lionel Rose, Anthony Mundine and John McEnroe. It provided a setting for boxing, basketball and gymnastics events during the Melbourne Olympic Games and has since served as a stage for touring national and international bands, including the Living End and Rage Against the Machine.
Coincide your visit with a live concert at Festival Hall, which has the capacity for up to 5,445 audience members during standing-only shows. There are several nearby restaurants where you can dine before or after the performance, including the Flames of India, Solidaire and Fish Bar.
Getting there
Festival Hall is in Melbourne, around 15 minutes’ walk from the Southern Cross railway station or accessible from the Newquay/Docklands Drive tram stop. Melbourne Airport is 20 minutes’ drive from the concert hall.