Christopher BarrettFollowing a multi-million-pound refurbishment programme that will have seen the venue closed for seven years, Wolverhampton Council-owned Wolverhampton Civic Halls will re-open next year with AEG Presents managing it.
Wolverhampton Civic Halls, which comprises the Civic Hall (cap. 3,000), Wulfran Hall (1,134) and Slade Rooms (500) was closed in 2015. Initial plans, costing £14.4m, were due to be completed in March 2018. The scheme’s budget has since escalated to more than £38m.
As well as managing venues, AEG Presents promotes UK festivals including BST Hyde Park, All Points East and Eden Sessions.
Leader of the council, councillor Ian Brookfield, said: “AEG Presents’ passion for the iconic halls and ambition for the future matches our own and this partnership will not only deliver an outstanding venue with top-class entertainment for generations to come – it will be a keystone of our wider plans to reimagine the city centre, to create local jobs and grow vital local businesses. Never has this been more needed than now, as we plot a path out of the pandemic.
AEG Presents CEO Steve Homer said, “Wolverhampton Civic Halls has a great history of being a first class venue for live music, when looking to expand our portfolio of venues it was the obvious choice.
“The council’s ambition, commercial drive and significant investment coupled with our desire to provide high quality entertainment and customer service will forge a great partnership for years to come.