The Great Hall

Lancaster's main performance and concert hall hosts concerts, conferences, graduations, and much more.

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at the Great Hall in 2023.

The Great Hall is a significant location for our Lancaster community. From attending a welcome talk at an open day on a first visit, being wowed by cutting-edge contemporary arts, nervously sitting exams, to celebrating years of hard work and life-long friendships at graduation - the Great Hall is the setting for all these formative experiences.

The Hall hosted a who's who of rock and roll between 1969 and 1985, including such legends as Paul McCartney, Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and Tina Turner.

Although arenas and stadiums have taken over from smaller local venues for big-name, popular music artists, the Great Hall continues to host a wide range of performances and events.

Our Great Hall provides the space for major events, from grand openings and showpiece finales to glittering ceremonies and keynote talks. It's a space made for presenting awards, giving talks, sharing ideas and entertaining guests (and, in our case, awarding degrees).

Lancaster Arts extends the legacy and long-established artistic reputation at the University by curating and presenting traditional and contemporary arts in the Great Hall, Nuffield Theatre, Peter Scott Gallery, and across Lancaster, Morecambe and beyond. This includes the classical concert series that has taken place in the Great Hall for 55 years and continues to bring internationally recognised musicians and orchestras to the venue to this day.

As the name suggests, it's the biggest space at Lancaster University – a theatre for an audience of up to 800, a banquet hall for up to 340 diners, or an exhibition hall for 250 guests. It offers the adaptability, space and technical facilities to offer the setting for major standalone events, ceremonies and speeches. For more information about hiring the Great Hall, contact Conferences and Events.

Many University and community events are hosted within the Hall, and our student societies regularly use the location to showcase and practise their talents. Who knows what future star may be honing their skills within the walls that hosted such historical events over the years?

Legends live at the Great Hall

Peter Hook of New Order plays an electronic drum kit.

New Order

14 March 1985

New Order became one of the most critically acclaimed and influential bands of the 1980s.

Tina Turner on stage, flanked by two backing singers.

Tina Turner

25 February 1984

Arguably one of the biggest stars to have performed at the Great Hall, rising to fame in the 1960s and enjoying a highly successful career.

Joe Strummer from The Clash stands in front of a rapt audience

The Clash

23 January 1980

The Clash performed at the Great Hall a month after the release of their classic London Calling album.

The Selecter perform on stage at the Great Hall.

The Selecter

30 January 1981

The Selecter were a 2 Tone British ska group from Coventry. They played Lancaster three times. On the first occasion in 1979, they performed with The Specials and Madness.

Motörhead play on stage underneath a large lighting rig shaped like an aeroplane.

Motörhead

19 November 1979

One of the loudest acts to have played at the Great Hall, Motörhead also boasted one of the largest stage sets with a colossal Bomber aircraft as their lighting rig.

Kid Creole and two backing singers on stage in Lancaster

Kid Creole and The Coconuts

9 October 1982

Kid Creole and The Coconuts played a mixture of big band jazz, disco and salsa music and played in Lancaster at the height of their fame.

Echo & The Bunnymen live on stage.

Echo & The Bunnymen

21 October 1984

Their first Great Hall concert featured songs from the band’s second album release, Heaven Up Here. They returned in 1984 to promote their fourth album, Ocean Rain, and performed hits The Killing Moon and The Back of Love.

Reggae band Steel Pulse play on stage in front of a large banner with their name on.

Steel Pulse

27 October 1978

This roots reggae band formed in Birmingham in 1975 and is still touring and recording. They allied themselves closely with the Rock Against Racism movement, which was set up in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict.

The people behind the gigs

Barry Lucas (BA English, 1971, Lonsdale) first came to Lancaster as a student in 1968, where he became the Students’ Union Manager and went on to book approximately 800 acts into the Great Hall, Nuffield Theatre and The Sugar House in the city centre.

Paul Tomlinson (Bowland College porter), a local music enthusiast, curated and co-authored the extensive collection of performances into the book When Rock went to College and is still a staff member here at Lancaster.

Photographer Geoff Campbell (BA Sociology, 1976, County) became the ‘unofficial’ photographer of many of the concerts and has kindly shared the photos in this display and on the campus Spine exhibition.

John Angus was based at Birmingham Arts Lab in 1975, designing and screen-printing posters for various arts and music events. After meeting with Barry Lucas, he produced posters for about 75 concerts between 1976 and 1981.

Other performance spaces at Lancaster University

  • Nuffield Theatre

    The Nuffield Theatre brings professional and world-renowned contemporary performance and theatre to Bailrigg campus.

  • Peter Scott Gallery

    Lancaster’s Peter Scott Gallery presents a varied programme of temporary exhibitions and associated talks.

  • Lancaster University Library

    The library building is at the heart of the campus. It is open to members of the University and for public access.

  • The Ruskin

    Explore the art and ideas of John Ruskin, writer, artist, and radical thinker. The Ruskin is temporarily closed for refurbishment, while our doors are closed, exhibitions and events are taking place off-site and online.