Sydney’s coolest new gig and event space is now open, and it’s possible you may not have even heard of it yet. Located on Clarence Street – a stone’s throw from Town Hall and some of the city’s best bars and restaurants (Hi, Old Mate's Place and King Clarence!) – Machine Hall is a former 100-year-old substation (meaning it used to help power Sydney) that’s been reimagined into a cutting-edge, 400-person-capacity venue. Featuring soaring ceilings, a spacious floor area, a commercial kitchen and bar, and a wraparound mezzanine level that provides premium views, the industrial and cavernous space is unlike anything we have in Sydney. Time Out was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of Machine Hall on the opening night, and let’s just say this: it’s seriously impressive.
Think of Machine Hall as a blank canvas, ready to cater to different size and style events, from major culture programs, festivals and broadcasting to brand activations, killer conferences, weddings and special soirées. Want to put on a fashion show? You can do that at Machine Hall. What about an end-of-year Big Bash? You betcha.
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The inner-city cultural precinct is made up of four distinct event spaces: Machine Hall, which is the main event hall; Third Space, a 100-seat flexible event room; Fuse Box, an intimate 10-seat area for meetings and broadcasting; and Clarence Vault Rooms, a speakeasy-style bar that can fit up to 120 guests, which sounds like a good time to us.
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Sitting dormant for more than 30 years, the heritage building was brought back to life as a collaboration between The City of Sydney and construction company Built. Which leads us to possibly our favourite thing about Machine Hall: the team offers free and subsidised venue hire for artists, creatives and innovators throughout the year as a way of supporting the arts and culture industry. Every time a premium brand or corporation hosts an event at Machine Hall, they’re supporting the arts too. Cool, right?
Machine Hall’s aim is to create a space for culture in Sydney, one where the program is inclusive and diverse to ensure representation from a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives. That’s something we can definitely get behind. (And we’ll be honest: Machine Hall also looks like an epic place to throw a party.)
Machine Hall may very well be 100 years old, but we’ve got a feeling the future looks bright for this old girl. Long may she reign.
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