The Bridgewater Hall
About
Music Venues, Opera & Ballet, Cafes
Price Range : Under $10 (££)
Location
Adress: Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3WS
Phone: +44 161 907 9000
Work Hours
Business info
- list_altTakes ReservationsYes
- directions_carDeliveryNo
- move_to_inboxTake-outNo
- local_parkingParkingGarage
- directions_bikeBike ParkingYes
- accessibilityGood for KidsYes
- groupGood for GroupsYes
- new_releasesAttireDressy
- insert_emoticonAmbienceRomantic, Classy
- volume_upNoise LevelVery Loud
- turned_in_notMusicLive
- local_barAlcoholFull Bar
- transit_enterexitOutdoor SeatingNo
- tvHas TVNo
Reviews
-
Bekki G.
Great venue for a wide variety of musical genres. It has the main concert hall but some smaller spaces for performances as well. Good cafes and bars (although it can take ages to get served!) and there's always a good range of ticket prices depending on your seats.
Car parking, bus and tram links make it really easy to get to - well worth a visit! Hallé and BBC philharmonic are resident so there's always a good variety of immense talent on show! -
James C.
A wonderful facility belonging to Manchester. Bridgwater Hall hosts many events including both classical and contemporary music. Both the Hallé and BBC Philharmonic play here regularly, and ticket prices are reasonable. There are sometimes free tickets for Manchester residents if you're on their mailing list. My only reason not to award the venue 5 stars is that I find the seats a little uncomfortable, especially when you're there for a few hours.
-
Alex B.
The Bridgewater Hall is a wonderful venue, that I feel is sometimes underused by the city. I've seen everything from ballet to Goldfrapp to classical recitals at this venue, and it was lovely to visit again as part of MIF 2015 to see The Requiem/Immortal.
To me this venue really comes alive with a full orchestra and choir - which is precisely what it was designed for. The seating is comfortable, and even high up there are still great unobstructed views to be had. But as with most classical concerts I attend, the best way to view is by closing your eyes. Only then do you appreciate the all consuming sound that is possible in this venue.
The bar areas are also quite lovely, with large windows over looking the canal and Castlefield. St Peter's Square is your most convenient tram stop (once the works have finished in 2017 that is), but it's not too far a walk from Deansgate train station. -
Hannah Q.
My review of Bridgewater Hall is based solely on the recent 'Baby Music' session I attended with my daughter recently.
Baby Music is a free baby sensory class that is offered here every Wednesday at 11.15am, 12.30pm and 1.45pm. It's an informal session that takes place over an hour with a different theme every week and music based activities set up accordingly.
The idea is you rock up with your baby and spend an hour playing and generally having fun! The class doesn't have any particular structure and is not led but there are several members of staff on hand who are happy to offer ideas, impart their knowledge of how music can help development or just sit and have a chat with you and your baby.
It's a really nice way to spend an hour with your baby and my 6.5 month old loved it. There were a few people there with very young babies (just a month or 2 old) but I'm not sure how much you'd get out of it at that age and as it can get quite noisy it's maybe more suitable for babies ever so slightly older.
As I said before, this is a free session and as such is hugely popular. Bookings are currently taken from 8.30am on the Thursday before the following Wednesday's group and if you want to get a place you really do need to be there at 8.30am on the dot and be prepared to hit the redial button several times! -
Thomas M.
This time around not only visited the hall for two concerts (one was a replica of Leonard Bernstein's final concert, with Tasmin Little and the BBCPO), the other John Williams: A Life in the Cinema with the Hallé under Stephen Bell - both great) but also took the "public" tour of the building, which will cost you a 5-er for a 1+ hour look behind the back of that is certainly the greatest-sounding concert hall I know (a tie with the Cologne Philharmonic Hall). Very nice tour, which was guided by the guy who normally runs their CD and souvenirs shop on concert evenings. The Hallé were rehearsing the Williams concert while we were in the auditorium, being told about sound-proofing and how the architects kept the vibrations coming from the nearby traffic away from the auditorium.
So I recommend Bridgewater Hall for ALL classical concerts, and the tour for those who want to have a peek behind the scenes.