Published Thursday 4 December 2025 at 10:15
Blackburn’s King George’s Hall is set to benefit from a further £4.5m of funding.
The hugely popular venue – the largest performance space in the borough and an iconic entertainment space in the North West – is undergoing extensive renovations as part of a ‘generational opportunity.’
Part of the first significant investment of any scale since it officially opened in 1921, this additional funding is being committed to complete the project ready for an Autumn 2026 re-opening.
It also offers an opportunity for much-needed ‘futureproofing,’ whilst the venue is already closed, and the extensive works are underway.
In a new report to Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Executive Board, a full update has been provided on the works, including the roof having been re-slated, windows refurbished and a full strip out of the heating system ready for significant upgrades.
Once completed, the Grade II listed building will have been completely overhauled with visitors being able to enjoy improved ticketing technology, new bar areas, upgraded toilets and more.
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader for Blackburn with Darwen Council and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
King George’s Hall really is the jewel in the crown of Blackburn’s Cultural Quarter.
It’s incredibly important to the town centre – including the boost it brings to the nighttime economy – with more than 100,000 visitors passing through its doors every single year.
The fact that the building had not received any significant upgrades in its long and incredibly successful history really is testament to the quality of the original design and build, but this new investment is very much needed.
For quite some time, the roof had been starting to fail, there hadn’t been any heating or air conditioning, and customers told us that the bars and bathrooms were in desperate need of updating.
We worked incredibly hard to secure new Government funding to be able to deliver this project, with the Council committing an additional £1m given how important this project is – to the town and to our residents and communities.
The additional £4.5m – topping up £9m already committed – will also be made up of Government Growth Funding, including a new Pride in Place Impact Fund, designed to support town centres, cultural offers and community-focussed initiatives.
£2.5m of funding originally set aside to re-develop Tony’s Ballroom will also be used, with the project, which is still in the early stages, being temporarily paused whilst alternative sources of funding are sought.
The additional investment will allow for rewiring in the main Concert Hall and Windsor Suite, new, high-spec lighting, replacements for the lifts and the upgrades to the Akbar’s restaurant, based within King George’s Hall – which have been undertaken ahead of the busy Christmas period – and more, with full details outlined in the report.
Councillor Mahmood added:
There is a huge focus on our cultural offering in the borough, and this is an incredibly important project that will have wide ranging benefits.
Of course, given the age of the building, and with any scheme of this type, we’ve uncovered issues as the works has progressed with the scale of the deterioration of the fabric of the building being far greater than we had anticipated.
We have continued to move on at pace, and whilst these works are underway, we want to ensure we do everything we can to futureproof the venue, an important part of the cultural fabric of our borough.
This type of project really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, one that we are absolutely determined to make the most of – ensuing our residents and their families can continue to enjoy it for many more decades to come.
Over the past Century, King George’s has welcomed the likes of Queen, The Beatles and David Bowie to its stage.
And in recent years, it’s continued to attract big names with the likes of Liam Gallagher, Florence + The Machine and top comedians, including Lee Evans, Jimmy Carr and Jason Manford, all playing to sell-out audiences.
This investment is part of a new Cultural Quarter in Blackburn with the adjacent Blakey Moor building also being completely transformed in anticipation for King George’s Hall re-opening.
Also in that area, the new REEL Cinema was developed on the former Waves site and Blackburn College’s Victoria Building is undergoing extensive works to – all adding up to £50m of new funding for that area, part of larger investment plans for the town centre.
Councillor Mahmood said:
The additional £4.5m is being funded through cash we’ve successfully secured from the Government, there’s no additional financial ask from the Council.
Schemes like this are incredibly important to the future of our towns and are part of wider investment in our popular cultural venues, including The Making Rooms, The Exchange and Darwen Library and Darwen Library Theatre too.
We’re incredibly proud of our growing cultural offer in the borough and are determined to keep building on that.
The report details how King George’s Hall brings in £1.5m of revenue every year with plans to grow that by at least a further 10% once it re-opens.
Whilst the doors are closed, there’s a packed programme at Darwen Library Theatre, including a busy line-up in the run-up to Christmas.
You can find out more about what’s on there at: www.bwdvenues.com
You can also keep up-to-date with the latest news about King George’s Hall on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
And there’s a full guide to what’s on in Blackburn Town Centre on the Discover Blackburn website – https://discoverblackburn.co.uk/whats-on/