The Alban Arena

The 800-seat Alban Arena is the most visited arts venue in St Albans. It hosts a varied programme of national touring shows, concerts, comedy, films, exhibitions and pantomime. Drinks, ice cream and confectionary available. Free parking after 6.30pm. Pick up an events brochure, view a seating plan, or join the priority mailing list.

See below for Alban Arena event listings:

What's on at the Alban Arena

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• Tue 16 Jul - Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny

  

  8:00 PM

  Front Doors Open: 7pm Auditorium: 7.30pm Show Starts: 8pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Jimmy’s brand new show contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things.  Terrible things that might have affected you or people you know and love. But they’re just jokes – they are not the terrible things.  Having political correctness at a comedy show is like having health and safety at a rodeo. Now you’ve been warned, buy a ticket. jimmycarr.com | @jimmycarr | IG: jimmycarrNot suitable for under 16s To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Wed 25 Sep - St Albans Beer & Cider Festival 2019

  

  11:00 AM

  Open 11-11 every day Admission CAMRA members: FREE Wed and Thu, £1 Fri and Sat. Public: FREE on Wed until 3pm, £3 thereafter, £3 Thu, £5 Fri and Sat* * Door Sales OnlyLive music from Katie Plus Juan Thursday evening, Katie’s Jumping Fleas Saturday lunchtime and Kyla Brox Saturday evening. Book Tickets

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• Tue 01 Oct - The Bohemians

  

  7:30 PM

  Front Doors Open: 6.30pm Auditorium: 7pm Show Starts: 7.30pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. A Comprehensive re-enactment of Queens Greatest Hits Internationally renowned Queen Tribute band The Bohemians take you on a high energy roller coaster ride of a concert, featuring the back catalogue of one of the world’s most popular and iconic rock acts of all time. So many fabulous hits to be covered but they’re all here, from the early piano and harmony heavy masterpieces , to the later, catchy pop of the eighties and Rock anthems of the early nineties. To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Wed 02 Oct - Toyah Willcox

  

  8:00 PM

  Front Doors Open: 7pm Auditorium: 7.30pm Show Starts: 8pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. From punk princess to high priestess of TV, Toyah Willcox is a uniquely gifted performer. Charismatic, outspoken and impossible to categorise, she is one of Britain’s iconic household names – an award-winning rock legend as well as a much-loved actress and music composer.In a career spanning thirty years Toyah has had thirteen top 40 singles, recorded twenty albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays, made ten feature films and presented such diverse television programmes as The Good Sex Guide Late, Watchdog and  Songs Of Praise.It all began in her hometown Birmingham in 1977 when film director Derek Jarman offered her the role of ‘Mad’ in seminal punk epic Jubilee. She continued to gain strong roles, appearing alongside Katherine Hepburn in the film, The Corn is Green, as well as playing ‘Monkey’ in the legendary Quadrophenia. She teamed up with Jarman again to play Miranda in his innovative version of The Tempest, which won her a nomination as Best Newcomer at the 1980 Evening Standard Awards.By this time Toyah’s band was gaining critical success with the debut single Victims of the Riddle (no.1 in the independent charts) and six track EP Sheep Farming in Barnet. Her first album, The Blue Meaning, became a Top 40 hit. A TV Documentary “Toyah”, an accompanying live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! – as well as hit singles It’s A Mystery, I Want to Be Free, Brave New World and Be Proud, Be Loud, Be Heard plus the platinum albums Anthem and The Changeling – confirmed her status as one of the most significant talents of the Eighties.  In 1982 she won the Best Female Singer at the Rock & Pop Awards.Over the next two decades, as well as consolidating her reputation as a singer songwriter (with albums Minx, Desire, and her least commercial album Prostitute) Toyah also forged ahead with a career as a stage performer. Notable credits include Trafford Tanzi (lead); Cabaret (Sally Bowles); Three Men and a Horse (winner of Olivier Award for best New Comedy); the UK tour of Arthur Smith’s Live Bed Show; the title role in Calamity Jane (nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Best Musical) and most recently starring as the Devil Queen in the hugely successful rock show, Vampires Rock.Musically, the 90s saw Toyah transform from pop star to new wave diva. With her husband Robert Fripp she formed the band Sunday All Over the World, which toured world-wide. They recorded the album Kneeling at the Shrine which received rave reviews and Toyah went on to produce the critically-acclaimed albums Ophelia’s Shadow and Take the Leap!The 90s also saw Toyah dominate our TV screens. Whether it be drama – as a dog, in the half animated real life drama series The Ink Thief with Richard O’ Brien or kid’s programming (Toyah found renewed cult status as the intro and outro voice of Teletubbies), or presenting an ‘Alternative Remedies’ series on This Morning, Toyah’s range and versatility was unrivalled. She recorded two series of the BBC’s popular Fasten Your Seatbelt, two series of the BBC Scotland’s kid’s drama series Barmy Aunt Boomerang, fronted her own BBC1 series Discovering Eve and was a regular presenter on Watchdog, The Heaven & Earth Show and Holiday. She also presented Anything Goes, Time Off. The Magic & Mystery Show and Roll With It! In 1996, whilst Toyah was making the film Julie and The Cadillacs, Michael Aspel surprised her as the subject of BBC1’s This Is Your Life.The year 2000 saw the publication of her long awaited autobiography Living Out Loud and in 2001 Toyah was awarded a prestigious Honorary Doctorate by the University of Central England in recognition of her distinguished achievements in performing arts, media and broadcasting. Television continued to feature as she fronted forty programmes of Beyond Medicine for the Discovery Channel and Whose Recipe is it Anyway? for the Carlton Food Network. Carlton Television also made a documentary on Toyah’s music career as part of the Rock Legends series. Toyah also participated in the 2003 Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and most recently appeared in ITV2’s Secret Diary of a Call Girl as the mother of lead actress Billie Piper.The Humans marked their first ever like UK appearances with a series of warm-up concerts in the very intimate and beautiful surroundings of churches including St. Michael’s & All Angels’ Church and St. Anne’s Church, Worcester. These were followed up by dates across the UK, featuring special guest Robert Fripp playing live with the band. They appeared on the bill of acts invited to perform at The Roundhouse for the Helping Haiti fundraiser concert. Their UK tour culminated in a headline date at London’s Scala, yielding a 4-star, review from the Financial Times who concluded it was an “intriguing, often terrific, show” with “programmed beats, sinewy, rumbling rhythms, a kind of twisted funk”. The Humans’ forthcoming, second album Sugar Rush, which sees a further development of the band’s songs and sound will be released worldwide in winter 2010. The album features guest guitar on all tracks from Robert Fripp.Toyah continues to be seen on film with her recently completed starring role in the British film Power of Three, a light-hearted feel-good comedy that follows the adventures of 3 friends who pool their strengths when the going gets tough.Additionally, the track Quicksilver by The Humans features prominently in the short film Marigolds.With new book projects and music releases in the pipeline and live concert dates scheduled for the year ahead, Toyah maintains her multi-faceted and vibrant career. To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Thu 03 Oct - James Acaster

  

  7:30 PM

  COLD LASAGNE HATE MYSELF 1999 Front Doors Open: 6.30pm Auditorium: 7pm Show Starts: 7.30pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Little Wander in association with PBJ Management present One time I bought a lasagne from the supermarket, heated it up in the oven and ate a bit of it and it wasn’t very nice so I put it in the fridge because it felt wrong to dump a whole lasagne in the bin and then later on I ate a spoonful of the cold lasagne because I was drunk and it was absolutely delicious. It was 4am. I then changed the name of a WhatsApp I was a part of to COLD LASAGNE HATE MYSELF 1999 because I had been thinking a lot about how 1999 was the best year of my life and also about how much I hate myself sometimes. The next day I was asked to name my new show. Come along. Photo credit: Edward Moore @edshots edshots.co.uk To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Fri 04 Oct - Magic of Motown

  

  8:00 PM

  Front Doors Open: 7pm Auditorium: 7.30pm Show Starts: 8pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Celebrating the sound of a generationMusic fans are invited to the biggest party of the year as the unstoppable Magic of Motown show steams into town! Seen by over a million people, it’s no surprise that the show is one of the biggest success stories in British theatre history.Prepare yourself for 40 back-to-back classic Motown hits, glittering costume changes, dazzling dance moves and outstanding musicianship in this explosive concert experience.Celebrate the sound of a generation as the timeless music of Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson and more, are sensationally recreated for you by an exceptionally talented cast and band.This breath-taking concert spectacular takes you on a musical journey through all your favourite songs, including: Ain’t No Mountain, Signed Sealed Delivered, Grapevine, Get Ready, Dancing In The Streets, My Girl, Blame It On The Boogie, Uptight, Endless Love, My Cherie Amor, All Night Long, Heatwave and many, many more.This is a tribute show and is no way affiliated with any original artists/estates/management companies or similar shows. To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Sat 05 Oct - Rip it Up the 70’s

  

  2:30 PM

    2.30pm & 7.30pm Doors will open 30 minutes before the show   From the Producers of Rip it Up the 50s and 60s comes the greatest music decade ever! Join Olympic champion Louis Smith, Rachel Stevens (S Club 7) and Melody Thornton (Pussycat Dolls) for a groovy evening of singing & dancing. Further cast announcement to follow. The 1970s were when icons were born. With the groundwork for a new sense of personal freedom laid in the swinging 60s, people experimented with their sound, look and entire persona in more extreme ways. From somewhere in space landed David Bowie and Marc Bolan – two other-worldly angels at the forefront of glam rock. In New York and Miami disco was born… Music went more soulful with the sounds from Philadelphia. The Eurovision Song contest made its greatest contribution to pop music with the birth of Abba. There is a strong argument that this might have been the greatest decade of all-time for popular music. Michael Jackson went Off The Wall, Eagles were checking out of Hotel California, The Bee Gees defined a Saturday Night Fever, Bruce was Born To Run, Carole King wove her Tapestry, Fleetwood Mac had their Rumours, The Beatles Let It Be, John Lennon Imagined… And we have still yet to mention to Queen, Elton, American Pie, The Carpenters, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Sandy & Danny in Grease, Led Zeppelin climbing their Stairway to Heaven and Pink Floyd finding The Dark Side Of The Moon. Probably the greatest decade for music ever. The 70s didn’t do things by halves!   From the Producers of Rip it Up the 50s and 60s comes the greatest music decade ever!Join Olympic champion Louis Smith, Rachel Stevens (S Club 7) and Melody Thornton (Pussycat Dolls) for a groovy evening of singing & dancing. Further cast announcement to follow.The 1970s were when icons were born. With the groundwork for a new sense of personal freedom laid in the swinging 60s, people experimented with their sound, look and entire persona in more extreme ways.From somewhere in space landed David Bowie and Marc Bolan – two other-worldly angels at the forefront of glam rock. In New York and Miami disco was born… Music went more soulful with the sounds from Philadelphia. The Eurovision Song contest made its greatest contribution to pop music with the birth of Abba.There is a strong argument that this might have been the greatest decade of all-time for popular music. Michael Jackson went Off The Wall, Eagles were checking out of Hotel California, The Bee Gees defined a Saturday Night Fever, Bruce was Born To Run, Carole King wove her Tapestry, Fleetwood Mac had their Rumours, The Beatles Let It Be, John Lennon Imagined… And we have still yet to mention to Queen, Elton, American Pie, The Carpenters, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Sandy & Danny in Grease, Led Zeppelin climbing their Stairway to Heaven and Pink Floyd finding The Dark Side Of The Moon.Probably the greatest decade for music ever. The 70s didn’t do things by halves! Book Tickets

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• Sun 06 Oct - Sixties Gold

  

  2:30 PM

    Front Doors Open: 1.30pm & 6.30pm Auditorium Opens : 2pm & 7pm Show Starts 2.30pm & 7.30pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Hermans Hermits – 55th Anniversary The Merseybeats The Marmalade Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders Love Affair’s – Steve Ellis Sixties Gold 2019 returns with an even stronger line-up of artists that, between them, scored over 50 chart-topping UK hits. Hermans Hermits. One of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s. From their beginning in Manchester in 1964, the band has chalked up 23 Hit Singles, 10 Hit Albums, appeared in 3 major movies and to date they have sold in excess of 75 Million records. This year is their 55th Anniversary tour. Hits include: There’s A kind Of Hush, Silhouettes, Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat, Wonderful World, A Must to Avoid, and Many More. The Merseybeats. Another success story from the Liverpool, Merseybeat boom years. Great memorable hit records including; Sorrow, I Think of You, and Wishin’ and Hopin’. The Marmalade were the champions of the Scottish Beat in 1968, adding another dimension to the sound of the classic pop song, with great harmonies. Hits include: Lovin’ Things, Reflections of My Life, Falling Apart at The Seams, Cousin Norman, and their Lennon & McCartney composed No1 smash hit Ob-la-Di Ob-la-Da. Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders. Another of the iconic bands from Manchester, also on his 55th Anniversary tour. Wayne had his first hit in 1964, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, followed up with The Game Of Love, Pamela Pamela, Groovy Kind Of Love. Steve Ellis, the original lead vocalist and founder of Love Affair who had five Top 20 singles, including their No. 1 Everlasting Love.  To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you.Hermans Hermits – 55th Anniversary The Merseybeats The Marmalade Wayne Fontana And The Mindbenders Love Affair’s – Steve EllisSixties Gold 2019 returns with an even stronger line-up of artists that, between them, scored over 50 chart-topping UK hits.Hermans Hermits. One of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s. From their beginning in Manchester in 1964, the band has chalked up 23 Hit Singles, 10 Hit Albums, appeared in 3 major movies and to date they have sold in excess of 75 Million records. This year is their 55th Anniversary tour.Hits include: There’s A kind Of Hush, Silhouettes, Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat, Wonderful World, A Must to Avoid, and Many More.The Merseybeats. Another success story from the Liverpool, Merseybeat boom years. Great memorable hit records including; Sorrow, I Think of You, and Wishin’ and Hopin’.The Marmalade were the champions of the Scottish Beat in 1968, adding another dimension to the sound of the classic pop song, with great harmonies. Hits include: Lovin’ Things, Reflections of My Life, Falling Apart at The Seams, Cousin Norman, and their Lennon & McCartney composed No1 smash hit Ob-la-Di Ob-la-Da.Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders. Another of the iconic bands from Manchester, also on his 55th Anniversary tour. Wayne had his first hit in 1964, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, followed up with The Game Of Love, Pamela Pamela, Groovy Kind Of Love.Steve Ellis, the original lead vocalist and founder of Love Affair who had five Top 20 singles, including their No. 1 Everlasting Love. Book Tickets

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• Mon 07 Oct - Josh Widdicombe – Bit Much

  

  8:00 PM

  Front Doors Open: 7pm Auditorium: 7.30pm Show Starts: 8pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. The guy everyone can do an impression of is back with a brand new stand up tour. A show that will change your life and how you perceive your place in the world. Bit much? Fine, it’ll be a very funny night of grumbles and jokes in which Josh will finally tackle the hot comedy topics of advent calendars, pesto and the closing time of his local park.Widdicombe is best known for the twice BAFTA nominated and multiple Broadcast and RTS award winning show The Last Leg, as well as his critically acclaimed sitcom JOSH, Insert Name Here, QI, Have I Got New For You, A League of Their Own and his hit podcast Quickly Kevin Will He Score.“Hugely appealing stand-up which marries a keen observational eye to a petulant anger at the apparent ludicrousness of the modern world” The Guardian“If they made frustration an Olympic sport the Last Leg co-host would win gold every time.” Evening Standard“Widdicombe’s charm and incurable exasperation with the modern world win the day” The I“One of the most bankable talents in UK comedy” Guardian Guide To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Tue 08 Oct - Jim Davidson’s The People Fight Back Tour

  

  7:30 PM

  Front Doors Open: 6.30pm Auditorium: 7pm Show Starts: 7.30pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. The people’s favourite and one of Britain’s greatest ever comedians, JIM DAVIDSON OBE telling it ‘like it is’. Are you fed up with this PC world we now find ourselves in? Well, come and see Jim’s brand-new and outrageous show.Enough is enough, It’s time to fight back!‘The audience could have stayed all night………. he speaks with a rare honesty’5 stars Express “Showman Jim triumphs… he hit the spot again and again”Sunday Express *****“Standing ovation to packed houses every night“The Mirror ****“Davidson was cheered to the rafters”The Telegraph“A master of his art”The Spectator To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Wed 09 Oct - Thunder – Unplugged and Unscripted

  

  7:30 PM

  Front Doors Open: 6.30pm Auditorium: 7pm Show Starts: 7.30pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. They usually headline arenas and festivals. But this Autumn, British rock band Thunder will celebrate their 30th anniversary with a series of up-close-and-personal shows for fans.Founding members singer Danny Bowes and guitarist Luke Morley will talking through the highs and lows of life in Britain’s most popular rock band. And they’ll punctuate their unscripted conversation with host Mick Wall by playing acoustic versions of fan favourites. To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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• Thu 10 Oct - Sh*t-faced Shakespeare A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  

  8:00 PM

  A Midsummer Night’s Dream Front Doors Open: 7pm Auditorium: 7.30pm Show Starts: 8pm To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. The smash-hit, internationally acclaimed, award-winning, multi sell-out fringe phenomenon is finally off on a UK tour with their version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Sht-faced Shakespeare is the hilarious combination of an entirely serious adaptation of a Shakespearean classic, with an entirely sht-faced cast member. With one cast member selected at random and given four hours to drink before every show, we present to you classical theatre as it was always meant to be seen. With a gin in one hand, a cup of wine in the other and a flagon of ale in the other… What could possibly go wrong? “A great night out to get properly picked up. It’s what Willy would’ve wanted.” Time Out “There is no doubt this is a hoot to watch”Evening StandardAge – 16+ To alleviate large queues we ask that you arrive in good time as there are bag searches in place. Where possible please bring small bags with you. Book Tickets

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Overview

• Dates and times: Open Mon-Sat 10.30am-8pm. Open until 6pm on non-performance days.
• Hire information: Contact venue for hire information.

Address and Contact info

• Address: Civic Centre
• Town: St Albans
• County: Herts
• Postcode: AL1 3LD

• Phone: 01727 844488
• Email: email The Alban Arena
• Email 2: email The Alban Arena (alternate email address)
• Website: visit website (opens in new window)