BIRTHDAYS in lockdown have become a much talked about feature of life during the coronavirus era.

And now Warrington's iconic venue is even adding to the conversation as Parr Hall prepares to celebrate a major milestone this month.

The historic concert hall in Palmyra Square will mark its 125th birthday on Saturday, September 26.

Unfortunately, it will be a somewhat muted celebration as the Parr Hall is currently closed due to the rules around large events and social distancing.

Its reopening date will be a week later on October 3 when the Comedy Store stand-up night will take place with a reduced capacity.

But that is why the Culture Warrington team want concert goers to share their memories of the best gigs and shows at Parr Hall from over the years or even the decades.

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, Frank Turner, John Bishop, Bill Bailey and many more to the stage.

It was also the chosen venue for the Viola Beach tribute gig which saw the likes of Courteeners, Blossoms, Zutons, The Coral and The Kooks taking to the stage to celebrate the Warrington band who died in a crash in Sweden in 2016.

Warrington Guardian:

The Coral at the Viola Beach tribute celebration

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 lifelong memories for people across Warrington.

Now, venue and events manager for Parr Hall Chris Persoglio is asking visitors to share their memories in the lead up to the anniversary.

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 Warrington bands sending in performances or messages to people sharing their photos and footage from past events.”

Warrington Guardian:

The Rolling Stones at the venue more than 50 years ago

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

For more than 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 for good or announcing redundancies.

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

Chris added: “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 here .
  • Memories can be shared with the Parr Hall by sending a message to pressoffice@culturewarrington.org before Monday.