Parr Hall Celebrates 125th Birthday

Parr Hall is preparing to mark its 125th birthday this September and Culture Warrington staff are inviting the community to make it a celebration to remember.

For 125 years, Parr Hall has been the beating heart of Warrington's Cultural Quarter, welcoming world-class artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, John Bishop, Jimmy Carr, and more to its iconic stage.

From its golden age as a dance hall to its status as a landmark venue for music and comedy, Parr Hall has a rich and varied history that has created remarkable, lifelong memories for people across Warrington and the North West.

Now, venue and events manager for Parr Hall Chris Persoglio is asking visitors to share their memories in a special celebration in the week leading up to Saturday 26 September.

He said: "Parr Hall is a special place for many and is the backdrop of so many amazing memories for people of all generations.

"As such, we want to celebrate our venue's 125th birthday in style and would love for people to share their photos, videos, old tickets and personal memories - and even their own birthday messages - for us to incorporate into a special online celebration.

"We should have been celebrating in the venue but for obvious reasons this won't be happening and the venue will now be closed for this special date.

"However, we do still hope to mark it in a memorable way and would love everyone to get involved, from local bands sending in performances or messages to people sharing their photos and footage from past events."

Parr Hall closed its doors in March as the Covid-19 pandemic plunged the nation into lockdown.

For over six months, arts venues up and down the country have struggled to make ends meet as ongoing restrictions put a stop to their primary source of income - a consequence that has seen many venues closing its doors for good or announcing redundancies.

Now, Culture Warrington - the charity that runs Parr Hall, Pyramid Arts Centre and Warrington Museum & Art Gallery - is turning to members of the public to ask for support to help sustain this iconic venue through these unprecedented times.

Chris said: "Covid-19 has been notoriously harsh on the arts and entertainment industry, a crisis that will have a long-term impact on many venues across the UK and beyond.

"We've been so lucky to receive such fantastic support from the community during the pandemic, with individuals making donations and customers contributing their booking fees, but we ask you all to continue this generosity as we work to bring live events back to Warrington."

Donations can be made via the Support Us tag on the Culture Warrington website at https://culturewarrington.org/support-us/.