The Liverpool Olympia is a universal venue for concerts, sporting events, various shows, festivals and other events. Olympia is the city’s true historic cultural centre involved in all major projects. Learn more at liverpoolski.com.
Brief historical background
The Olympia’s building on West Derby Road was designed by renowned theatre architect Frank Matcham for Moss Empires Ltd. It was opened in April 1905.
In 1930, the building was purchased by the ABC theatre company and started to serve as a cinema until 1939. During World War II, the building was used as a Royal Naval Depot.
After the war, the venue remained closed for a long time until it was purchased by Mecca Leisure Group in 1948. The company renamed it The Locarno and converted it into a dance hall. From 1964, the venue hosted concerts including those by the legendary The Beatles. People also watched new films and played bingo there. The building was closed in 1982.
After a major renovation in the 1990s, the Olympia reopened its doors to visitors again. Today, it is one of Liverpool’s largest cultural venues, hosting a wide variety of events, including the famous Favourite Days music festival.
Location and architecture
The Olympia stands on the site of the former almshouses of the Licensed Victuallers’ Association stretching from West Derby Road to Boler Street. The theatre building is detached and occupies a very advantageous and convenient position. Three ample reception rooms spring from a kiosk and lead to the main theatre chambers.
The audience gathers here half an hour before the performance, which minimises the outdoor queueing.
At the same time, the floor plan is arranged in such a way that visitors leaving the premises don’t meet those entering it.
The exits from the building are numerous and well thought out, so there will be no panic in the event of an emergency. A huge theatre, which can accommodate about 4,000 people, can be emptied in 2-4 minutes without any fuss. This competent concept ensures the comfort and safety of all visitors.
In 1975, the theatre was recognised as a Grade II Listed building. Built as an indoor circus and variety theatre, the Olympia remains one of the most unique buildings of such type in the UK.
Interior
The Olympia’s interior is simply stunning in its luxury. The internal dimensions are much larger than they seem from the outside. Magnificent stucco, intricate architectural details, soft burgundy chairs and a colour scheme of cream, white and gold — all of this creates a unique and festive atmosphere.
Despite the reconstruction, the interior is filled with history and refers to the past. The rooms are decorated with bas-reliefs of elephants, lions, horses and other animals, which remind us that the theatre was a circus at the beginning of the last century.
Another amazing feature and a significant part of its history is hidden under the wooden floor and is a kind of secret for most visitors. This is the legendary “elephant pit”, which was used in the old circus days for animals and a large water tank supposedly raised onto the stage for seal performances.
The “elephant pit” is a huge dark and cold concrete room located directly under the main theatre hall. The pit isn’t used today, but it is rumoured that there used to be a tunnel leading to a neighbouring hotel. It was said that stars secretly used it to get to the stage avoiding unnecessary attention from fans.
Beginning of a new story
Since 1990, the Olympia building has been owned by the Zorba family. They bought the premises from Mecca Leisure and carried out a major reconstruction. After that, although the theatre was one of the oldest and largest concert halls in Liverpool with an interesting history and a good reputation, it rarely hosted festivals, live concerts and other events, remaining a kind of hidden gem.
The owners did everything to give the Liverpool Olympia a new life. The bright and extraordinary past of the theatre couldn’t but arouse interest, so the Olympia began to gradually return to the live music scene. It started to host concerts of both beginners and well-known musicians and bands, including Tame Impala, Foals, New Order, Damon Albarn’s Africa Express and others. People could listen to these performers at the Olympia or at LIMF.
For many young performers, the Olympia has been a springboard, a place where they performed before moving on to a more professional level. The venue has a special friendly atmosphere attracting and supporting budding stars. The Olympia also hosts boxing and wrestling competitions.
The Liverpool Olympia is an important part of the city’s cultural life. Over more than a century of history, it has experienced success, decline and revival. In the 21st century, the Liverpool Olympia is thriving and considered one of the main players in the city’s music scene.