Toggle menu

Salisbury City Hall

 

April 2025 update

New operators of Salisbury's City Hall confirmed - venue will reopen this year

We have formally agreed a lease with the management team behind Music Entertainment Culture and Arts (MECA) to run City Hall in Salisbury, with the local company taking over full operation of the venue.

Salisbury City Hall Ltd, from the management team that operates MECA in Swindon, has signed a lease agreement with Wiltshire Council for 25 years in a deal that will see City Hall reopen as an entertainment venue later this summer (2025). 

We are in the process of carrying out repairs and maintenance and making improvements to the external fabric of the building so it's in the best condition possible for when it rejoins the city's arts, cultural and entertainment scene. The new operators will carry out its own works to improve the overall customer experience at the venue and it is planned these will take place concurrently with the council's.

We have carried out thorough due diligence to reach this stage. We first carried out an insightful market engagement process, which established that, after speaking to potential third-party providers, offering the venue on a long-term lease would be the preferred arrangement. We then worked with Savills to formally market the venue to prospective tenants and at the end of this process, following further due diligence, the team at MECA was identified as the preferred operator.  

City Hall opened in 1961 and is one of the largest live entertainment venues in the region, with capacity for more than 1,000 people. It has previously played host to the likes of David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and household names in the world of comedy. From December 2020 to January 2023, City Hall was used as a COVID-19 mass vaccination centre, playing its part to keep thousands of local people safer during the pandemic.

The MECA venue in Swindon has been a fixture in the town's entertainment sector for almost 100 years. It has been known as MECA since 2010 following full refurbishment where it has evolved into a commercial and community-based events venue catering to everyone and continues to go from strength to strength. The addition of City Hall to the group ensures both venues are in a position to bring bigger and better acts to the area.

The management of MECA, which is led by Justin Britchford, has confirmed the Salisbury venue will continue to be called City Hall.

If you have any questions please contact arts@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).

Press releases

New operators of Salisbury's City Hall confirmed - venue will reopen this year (opens new window) - 9 April 2025

Cabinet agrees preferred venue operator for Salisbury's City Hall (opens new window) - 21 January 2025

Cabinet to discuss venue operator for Salisbury's City Hall (opens new window) - 14 January 2025

Wiltshire Council provides City Hall update following recent lease listing - 20 September 2024

City Hall update - Wiltshire Council appoints specialist real estate company to market venue as a long lease - 1 May 2024

Wiltshire Council updates on City Hall - 6 March 2024

Wiltshire Council looking to offer City Hall on a long-term lease following recent insightful market engagement - 11 January 2024

Wiltshire Council continues process of seeking a third-party provider for Salisbury's City Hall - 24 November 2023

Wiltshire Council provides City Hall update - 29 September 2023

Wiltshire Council provides City Hall update - 17 July 2023

Council reaffirms commitment to reopen City Hall as a live entertainment venue - 3 July 2023

Council looking at options to invest millions into City Hall to provide a first-class entertainment venue for Salisbury - 18 May 2023

Council continues to seek third party organisations to manage City Hall - 13 March 2023

NHS set to leave City Hall following successful vaccination drive - 26 January 2023

Share this page

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email