One of the city’s most iconic entertainment venues is entering a bold new era as Liverpool Olympia officially becomes a Community Interest Company (CIC), placing community benefit at the heart of its future plans.
The landmark venue on West Derby Road has adopted CIC status to strengthen its commitment to delivering cultural, educational and training opportunities for local people. As a CIC, the organisation will reinvest profits back into the community it serves — a model distinct from a charity — ensuring its long-term impact reaches beyond the stage.
Liverpool Olympia CIC aims to create accessible arts, engagement and empowerment programmes shaped directly by the needs of local residents. Working closely with the community, the organisation will develop training initiatives, champion equal opportunities and position the historic venue as a welcoming hub for activity and collaboration.
The move also opens the door to local, regional and national funding streams that will support both community programming and essential heritage restoration work.
Protecting 120 Years of Cultural History
Designed by celebrated theatre architect Frank Matcham, the Olympia first opened in April 1905 as a purpose-built indoor circus and variety theatre capable of hosting 4,000 people. Its remarkable design included a vast water tank holding 80,000 gallons beneath the stage and a basement “Elephant Pit” where animals were once housed before performances.
Over the past century, the venue has welcomed legendary names including The Beatles, Harry Houdini and Little Richard, as well as more recent artists such as Robert Plant, Paul Weller, Elvis Costello, The Zutons and Robbie Williams.
Throughout its rich history, the building has also served as an early pioneering cinema, a wartime Royal Naval depot, the famed Locarno dance hall, and later a Mecca bingo hall. After a period of closure, the current owners began restoration work in the 1990s, reopening the venue in 2000 and re-establishing it as a major live events space. It has since provided a backdrop for major productions including Peaky Blinders and Tin Star.
A New Chapter
Managing Director Chris Zorba said he was “proud to collaborate with Liverpool Olympia CIC to preserve the 120-year heritage of this iconic building and ensure its future both as an entertainment venue and community hub into the next century.”
He added that while artistic programming will continue, the organisation now sees itself firmly as custodian of a vital local asset, with funding applications planned to restore and protect the fabric of the Grade II-listed building.
Alan Smith, Head of Heritage Preservation and Development at Liverpool City Council, described the Olympia as “hidden in plain sight” and a key gateway to wider regeneration plans stretching from Everton to Bootle. He highlighted the venue’s architectural significance and the unique Elephant Pit space as emblematic of Liverpool’s rich cultural heritage.
With community benefit now formally embedded in its structure, Liverpool Olympia’s latest transformation signals not just a preservation of the past — but a renewed commitment to shaping the city’s cultural future.
For more details about the Liverpool Olympia visit liverpoololympia.co.uk.
