Parr Hall Named 'Music Venue Of The Year' in New Awards Ceremony

Warrington's Parr Hall has been named 'Music Venue of the Year' in an awards ceremony celebrating the people and places behind the region's buzzing live scene.

The historic and much loved concert hall, which has been in Palmyra Square for 127 years, was recognised at the first [WAM] Awards at The Brass Monkey, a bar in the new 'Hive WA1' development in the town centre.

Parr Hall was announced as the winner on Thursday evening after more than 5,000 people took part in a public vote. Other shortlisted venues included Friars Court/FC2, Warrington Irish Club and The Snig in Widnes.

The [WAM] Awards was organised and hosted by Warrington Music, a platform set up by Lee Harman to support grassroots artists in and around Warrington.

The aim of the ceremony was to celebrate the 'amazing talent Warrington, Widnes and Runcorn has to offer' and prevent the region being overlooked by the huge music cities of Manchester and Liverpool that the area sits between.

The awards also marked the 10th anniversary of [WAM]. In other categories, Dave Gillespie, who works at Parr Hall as a venue management assistant, narrowly missed out on 'Photographer of the Year' and Clone Roses' Parr Hall gig was in the running for 'Event of the Year'.

Chris Persoglio, Venue and Events Manager at Parr Hall, said: "Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us and to Lee Harman for bringing the music scene together for the awards.

"We're delighted to be the [WAM] Music Venue of the Year. It's an incredible feeling and it means so much to us to still be at the heart of the community after 127 years. There is really nothing else like it when we have a sell-out gig. There is so much vibrancy and energy in the room."

Since Parr Hall's relaunch after the pandemic, the venue has welcomed the likes of The Script, James, Robert Plant, Shed Seven, Starsailor, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Scouting for Girls, Slow Readers Club and many more.

Lee Harman, organiser and founder of [WAM], added: "Parr Hall has a very special place in my heart. It's where I've seen many amazing events, and I was even lucky enough to host a show there in 2018.

"Congratulations to Parr Hall on their win and with almost 5,000 votes cast in the category, it's incredibly well deserved."

The Pyramid and Parr Hall team are also up for another accolade in 2023. They have been shortlisted for a Marketing Cheshire Tourism Award in the Team of the Year category at Halliwell Jones Stadium on 23 March.