Fringe Festival, image by Gregory Lorenzutti-Staunch
ABOUT
Meat Market and Kensington Town Hall are two of Melbourne’s most unique arts venues for hire, boasting flexible event spaces adaptable to a range of needs.
Located just north of the Melbourne CBD, our spaces accommodate theatre companies, artists, performers, artisan producers and creative practitioners for regular events scheduled throughout the year.
With a collection of flexible spaces for hire, including Meat Market’s Blackwood Box, Cobblestone Pavilion, Stables, Meeting Room and Garden; and the Main Hall, Supper Room, Rehearsal Room, Presentation Room, Creative Hub and Studio at Kensington Town Hall; we can cater to events of all sizes.
Enquire today to book a space at Meat Market or Kensington Town Hall.
Meat Market
The Architecture
The foundation stone next to our Courtney Street entrance displays a date of 1880. But, perhaps confusingly, the company also inscribed their establishment date – 1874 – above the Blackwood Street entrance.
At the interior of the Courtney Street entrance, you’ll find a portrait head of the market’s chief founder and mayor of Hotham, William Reynolds. And across the stalls, the names of company members, including a large set for Reynolds. In the Cobblestones, beneath the arch, you can still see grooves and tracks made by the iron shod wheels of delivery carts over a century ago.
Becoming an Arts and Creative Hub
Recognising the historic value of the building, Meat Market was purchased by the State of Victoria’s former arts Victoria body and opened as a craft centre in 1979 before becoming a performing arts space in 1998. The City of Melbourne’s arts department took over management in 2005. In 2015, a dedicated on-site management team was appointed to develop the venue into an arts and cultural space. With 50 arts businesses and individuals operating from the site, Meat Market is an important hub for arts development and presentation within Melbourne’s thriving arts scene.
Now an historic and iconic performing arts and events space, Meat Market accommodates a range of events across its Flat Floor Pavilion, Cobblestone Pavilion, Meeting Room, Old Cafe and Stables.
Kensington Town Hall
Throughout its 114-year history, Kensington Town Hall has hosted everything from community and cultural celebrations; to being a library, a temporary home for the Chinese supermarket now on Racecourse Road and, in more recent years, a ballet school.
The neoclassical style building was first constructed in 1901 and used as a hospital during the First World War and command post during the second World War. Following a recent restoration to preserve the facade and foundations it was officially reopened by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne Robert Doyle on 28 February 2015.
Kensington Town Hall represents one of the few defunct municipalities in Victoria – formerly known as the Kensington and Flemington borough from 1882 – 1906. Less than four years after first opening, the residents of Kensington and Flemington decided to amalgamate with the City of Melbourne.
The site is now managed by the City of Melbourne offering a frequent roster of vibrant arts and community events, including a handful of well-known regulars the Kensington Market (held on the third Sunday every month), and the Sticky Institute’s Annual Festival of the Photocopier.
Our Team
Meat Market and Kensington Town Hall are managed by City of Melbourne. The team sit within the Creative Melbourne branch and are tasked with providing affordable venue hire to the creative sector. Kensington Town Hall is a City of Melbourne property. Meat Market is owned by the Victorian Government and is run by City of Melbourne under a management agreement with Creative Victoria.
Meat Market
Emma Devereux, Venue Manager
Benjamin Morris, Technical and Operations Manager
Antonia Koratzopoulos, Presenter Services Coordinator
Brenton Ryan, Senior Technical Lead
Herbz Ra Herbert, Manager
Sabina McKenna, Communications Coordinator
Georgia Watterson, Business Support Coordinator
Kensington Town Hall
Karla Livingstone-Pardy, Presenter Services Coordinator
Rebecca Etchell, Senior Technician
