Alexandra Palace will celebrate its 150th birthday this week with a free party open to the public.
To commemorate its opening in May 1873, the historic venue will host a celebration tomorrow, with festivities including food, music and live performances.
Visitors can check out a farmers’ market, beer garden and free workshops running between midday and 9pm.
A silent family disco, cinema screenings and tours of the Palace’s historic BBC studio will also be available across the weekend.
🎂 To celebrate our 150th anniversary, we are throwing the doors of the Palace wide open on Saturday 27 May!
— Alexandra Palace (@Yourallypally) May 15, 2023
Come in and explore our history with tours, talks, a whole lot of creative fun, plus a HUGE birthday party of course! 🪩https://t.co/fnlhjVCGWa pic.twitter.com/apXYJKPJ9y
Emma Dagnes, Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust CEO, said: “It is amazing to be celebrating Ally Pally turning 150 years old.
“We’ve been here since before the light bulb was invented and we’ve certainly packed a lot into that time.
“The Birthday Party is a chance for people to come together, discover all that the Park and Palace has to offer and, more than anything else, enjoy themselves!
“We were built to provide entertainment and leisure to the masses, and over a century and a half later we are still doing just that, plus plenty, plenty more.”
Alexandra Palace, known as the “people’s palace”, first opened on May 24, 1873, but burned down just 16 days later.
The Palace would return in 1875 and go on to host some of the most iconic musical acts of the last century and a half including The Who, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Stone Roses, Blur and Jay-Z.
Throughout the 20th century the Palace played a key role in British politics, housing both refugees and prisoners of war during the First World War and providing shelter for British troops returning from Dunkirk in World War Two.
Tickets, and a full rundown of the weekend’s activities, can be found on Alexandra Palace’s official website.
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