St David's Hall

Since opening in 1982, millions of concert-goers have flocked to St David's Hall to experience the auditorium’s awe-inspiring sound, which continues to host the world’s best orchestras. A staggering 21,000 people flooded through the doors during a special open day on 30 August 1982, and days later came the first live performance with a free open rehearsal from the Cardiff Polyphonic Choir on 8 September. The first paid performance was The Central Band of the Royal Air Force, closely followed by a recital from American organist, Carlo Curley. Soon after, the Hall hosted its first pop concert on 16 September 1982 with a sold-out performance from British soul group, Hot Chocolate. The venue was later officially opened by the Queen Mother on 15 February 1983, and even royalty marveled at the building’s innovative architectural design catered towards achieving optimum sound quality. With an overall capacity of 2,000, the Hall hosts illustrious events such as the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, the International Concert Series, the Welsh Proms and the British Academy Cymru Awards to name just a few. Iconic Welsh artists like Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey enjoyed performing at the venue for several nights in the 80s, whilst Manic Street Preachers first honed their craft whilst busking outside the front entrance as teenagers. As well as hosting world-class classical music, ballets and opera, the auditorium has had a hugely diverse array of stars grace its stage including Sir Anthony Hopkins, U2, Adele, Sir Elton John, Ray Davies, Tina Turner, Miles Davis, Joe Calzaghe, Brian Wilson and Sir Ranulph Fiennes amongst many others. St David’s Hall is owned, managed and funded by Cardiff Council with support from the Arts Council of Wales. Annually it hosts approximately 300 performances attended by audiences in excess of 250,000. The Hall continues to be a leading venue in the cultural and continuing development of Cardiff into one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities.