Adelaide Town Hall

The Adelaide Town Hall, with its regal clocktower, is a grand landmark in the vicinity of Victoria Square. A heritage structure built in 1866, the Hall is a beautiful building that plays a key role in festival openings and other notable concerts and events throughout the year. Inside, heritage and modern amenity mix well. There is an auditorium with great acoustics, and the Town Hall hosts a variety of musical events, including the Adelaide International Guitar Festival and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

The resident musical act, however, is the Town Hall Organ, which attracts overseas organists to entertain crowds year-round. Replacing the original organ in 1989, the current one was built by J W Walker & Sons, and was the largest mechanical-action instrument to have been built in the United Kingdom in 100 years. It has 4500 hand-made pipes, and English stop names with "French flavour" in the reeds. The key action is mechanical but has the option to have electrical intermanual "assisted coupling," and was voiced by Paul Fulcher. Organ Recitals are often free, with a schedule available online.

The Adelaide Town Hall was hailed as ”the largest municipal building south of the Equator” when it was officially opened on 20 June 1866. Designed by Edmund W. Wright, the plans were selected as part of a contest, the final prize being awarded to Mr. Wright, who had been Lord Mayor in 1859. He was a very influential architect, going on to design the Adelaide Post Office, the State Parliament Building and the headquarters for the State Bank (now Edmund Wright House).

In 1964, the Town Hall was at the centre of musical history when The Beatles came to town and waved from the balcony to a crowd of 300,000 fans. Today, private functions and festival openings ensure this grand hall remains a fixture in the city's heritage.