The coming year is due to be one of the biggest in Elgin Town Hall’s history with the much-loved venue due to get the most extensive overhaul in its 63 years.
A massive upgrade, refurbishment and extension is due to begin in January and is expected to last well into 2027.
It is hoped the investment will push Elgin Town Hall to the next level and allow it to hold more ambitious events and attract bigger acts.
While limited events will still be held there at the beginning of the year, the Moray Council-owned building will be completely shut from April.
It means the charity which runs the venue, Elgin Town Hall for the Community, has to find a temporary home while the work is done.
The Press and Journal spoke to group’s chairwoman Jackie Andrews and hall manager Donnie Squair to learn more about what’s next for the building and charity, including;
- What Elgin Town Hall for the Community has done to grow audiences at the venue.
- The sell out events that made organisers realise the massive potential of the hall.
- How Elgin Town Hall for the Community is taking the show on the road while the venue is being refurbished.
- What improvements audiences can expect after the massive refurbishment and extension is complete.
- And why local performers, audiences and groups will always have a space at Elgin Town Hall.
Elgin Town Hall, Skipinnish and Jim Smith
When Elgin Town Hall for the Community took over the running of the building from Moray Council it was seen as a drain on public funds.
The local authority was prepared to lock the doors and turn off the lights in 2018 to save cash until the charity stepped forward.
Without council funds to prop up the venue the group had to expand its offering and fast.
Sessions including pensioner dance groups, vital outreach services for vulnerable adults, churches, conferences and regular blood bank visits kept the building busy during the day.
However, it has needed more box office evening events to generate the income to stay open for community groups.
And it was two events in the early days of Elgin Town Hall’s days as a community-run venture that opened up the eyes of the new custodians to what was possible.
Hall manager Donnie Squair said: “We got a phone call from Skipinnish. They’d heard from the Red Hot Chilli Pipers it was a good venue.
“It was a big learning curve for us, but also a start.
“We could see the potential of the building. The band loved it, the crowd loved it and we could see the building, if run correctly, had a future.”
Just a few months later comedy farmer Jim Smith did four sold out shows at the hall.
And again it opened up the eyes of the newly-formed group about the reach Elgin Town Hall could have across all walks of life and ages in the community.
Chairwoman Jackie Andrews said: “Those four nights appealed to everyone. Right from wee boys and girls to grannies and grandads.”
How Elgin Town Hall has expanded audiences to keep the lights on
While Skipinnish and Jim Smith have been among the undoubted headliners Elgin Town Hall for the Community has attracted, it has packed its evening programme for events.
Whether its bands that were popular in the past with the likes of Big Country or The Skids, special theme nights or tribute bands, Mr Squair always keeps his finger on the pulse for what audiences want.
Pulling in crowds is essential for the venue to ensure it balances the books and remains open for the community groups it supports.
And Mr Squair revealed that the popularity of some tribute acts can still catch them by surprise.
Demand for the Taylor Swift-inspired Taylor Fever in February proved so high that a second show was added to meet demand.
Mr Squair said: “I actually wasn’t sure about booking the Taylor Swift one. Obviously she was at Murrayfield this year. There was a lot of buzz, lots of people from here went, would she be as good?
“I think it’s going to be a night out for lots of people though.
“Obviously a lot of people can’t afford the Taylor Swift tickets, or make the trip to Edinburgh if they have young kids.
“It’s one of the things we’re trying to do at Elgin Town Hall, show people they don’t need to go to Aberdeen or Inverness for their nights out and actually bring people into Elgin.”
Mrs Andrews added: “Some shows may only get 200 people but that’s ok because we’re Elgin Town Hall for the Community and another night we might have a tribute act that will have 600.
“The bigger events allow us to support the other people in our community.”
How Elgin Town Hall for the Community will survive while venue is closed
All of that success is about to be put on hold though as Elgin Town Hall for the Community is temporarily evicted from the building it takes its name from.
From January 1 the group will only have access to the venue some evenings and from April it will be locked out completely.
It is to allow work to begin on the £10.2million extension, refurbishment and overhaul of the ageing, but much-loved, B-listed building.
However, it means the charity’s only money-making option will be out of bounds for them for most of 2025 and likely all of 2026.
In the interim, some groups will transfer to the nearby Elgin Community Centre with the charity also investigating the possibilities of hosting events at other venues in Moray towns.
Mrs Andrews stressed community support over the next two years will be vital to securing the future of the charity.
She said: “Yes, we are going to get this lovely shiny building at the end. But we don’t get money from the council or anyone else, and we’ve got three full-time members of staff and three part-time members of staff who we need to keep this place going.
“We get our money from working hard and our patrons coming through the doors and enjoying what it is they do.
“It really is heartfelt from all of us. Please keep supporting us during this closure period, and keep attending our events.
“We’re going to take Elgin Town Hall on tour. We’re already talking to other venues about working with us on that. Hopefully it will be mutually beneficial for everyone.”
Improvements audiences can expect once Elgin Town Hall reopens
Upcoming changes include a new extension facing the Lossiemouth road to accommodate new entrances and box office.
Meanwhile, the current main entrance and foyer area will become a restaurant and bar area.
And a new smaller performance space that can also double as a rehearsal room will be built on the side facing the A96.
Tiered seating will also be introduced on the ground floor of the main hall itself for the first time.
While those will be the changes the paying public will see, Mrs Andrews revealed some of the improvements not visible to audiences will make the biggest difference.
She said: “There’s going to be changes at the back of the stage too at the loading bay.
“We’re hoping that will kind of facilitate slightly bigger theatre companies or bigger bands coming in because it will mean easier access.
“At the moment we roll a big soft ramp out the front steps and they roll everything up through the front door.
“So we’ll become a much more professional venue, much slicker.
“We’re already getting inquiries from people planning their tours, the types of people we haven’t heard from before. So the word is on the street that big things are coming.”
Why local will always be key
With capacity in the main hall expected to expand from the current 550 to about 800, Elgin Town Hall for the Community will be raising the bar in the size of audiences it can attract.
However, both Mr Squair and Mrs Andrews stressed local groups will remain a key part of the building’s future.
Mr Squair said: “We still want the smaller acts and that community element.
“We don’t want local groups to feel like they’re being pushed out. No, they’re very much at the heart of what we’re doing. It’s why we’re here.
“The likes of all the Christmas shows we’ve just had on. They’re a yearly tradition, and we very much want to keep that going.”
Mrs Andrews added: “It says it in our name, Elgin Town Hall for the Community.”
Conversation