The Concourse Chatswood — Attraction in Sydney

For over 100 years, the site now homes to The Concourse has been the home of performing arts, community celebrations and civic ceremonies. The Concourse carries on these traditions and provides world-class entertainment facilities for the next generation.

The site of The Concourse, previously known as Civic Place, has housed buildings of public significance and been recognized as an important part of the local community for decades. The first Willoughby Town Hall was built on the site in 1903 and was later extended in 1967 to include a three-story administration building.

In 1972, the original Town Hall was demolished and replaced by a new Civic Centre, comprising the Town Hall which seated 850 people, and the smaller Bailey Hall, which seated 350. This building was constructed at a cost of approximately one million dollars and played an essential part in Willoughby City’s community and culture for many years.

The Town Hall was primarily designed to house the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and was subsequently equipped with technical facilities to accommodate orchestral performances. The hall hosted many different types of performances, as well as functions and exhibitions. The Bailey Hall was designed as a multi-function space, providing an area for functions and receptions, as well as facilities for the performance of drama and...

I’ve always thought highly of The Concourse in Chatswood. It’s a beautiful venue and I’ve enjoyed many events here over the years. But today’s experience was so disappointing that I genuinely feel compelled to leave a review.

We were waiting for someone we personally knew who was attending the event inside, and were simply standing near the foyer. A staff member came up to us and, without asking anything — no “Can I help you?” or “Are you here for the event?” — immediately told us to leave because it was a private event. It was honestly shocking. Why assume we weren’t part of it? Why not just ask us why we were there?

The doors were wide open and there were no signs or ticket checks, so if the event was truly that private and exclusive, surely some kind of entry control should have been in place? Instead, we were unfairly singled out and spoken to rudely. At one point, the staff member even said “this isn’t a place to sit,” which was baffling since we weren’t even sitting or near any chairs.

We weren’t loitering, we weren’t being disruptive — just waiting respectfully for someone we knew. The way we were treated was uncalled for, assumptive, and deeply disrespectful. It’s incredibly disappointing from a venue I used to speak highly of. I really hope management addresses how their staff approach and...

Our first impression was wow what a beautiful place. We found the staff polite and happy. Although our google maps GPS helped us find the place, it took us to the front. The carpark was on the other side, to get there we needed to go around the block: the long way. Only to find some stupid barrier at a X-ing, "No entry Emergency Vehicles Only". So around the block again. This made us late for the before 6:00pm carpark of $8.00. We ended up having to pay $20.00. Not happy. We came to see "The King and The Queen". Great set up, staff very informative and friendly. Queen (Thomas) was on first, sadly the balance between music and vocals was off. More volume on lead singer would have been better. His voice was drowned out by the drummer. However when on the mic at the piano , it was much better. I spoke with staff in the interval before Elvis (Sean) came on. Sadly the sound desk didn't raise the volume much. I mentioned it again to staff, who managed to speak to the sound desk again. The result was much better. Overall the night was great. However it would have been excellent had the sound desk got it right. Including the lighting: spot and flicker was out of sink. Well done to the bands and singers. Well done to the...