Forum Theatre

Such a great venue! I have seen some of the biggest bands from around the world here, been captivated by great movies during Melbourne International Film Festival upstairs and every experience is fresh and new. The Forum Theatre is right across the road from Federation Square — so lots of easy transportation options. Downstairs is a huge theatre space, wooden floor and high ceilings. There is quite a few nice booths for more relaxed ‘sitting’ bands too.
Upstairs is a large cinema space. It doesn’t have the most amazing projection equipment as this only operates for special occasions (Like MIFF) but the space has a lot of great artistic energy and the audience is always excited.
The theatre backs onto Hosier Lane meaning you have a very real chance of bumping into celebrities you admire while looking at great street art.

Easily my favourite music venue in Melbourne. The sound is excellent, and the gorgeous detail on the building both inside and out is truly remarkable.

Hands down best live music venue in Melbourne.
That is all.

What an amazing venue. Saw Courtney Barnett here. Huge beautiful theatre, massive standing area, booths in the back to sit, amazing sound. Such a cool venue, will be excited about any other gigs coming up here.

Here for #miff melbourne film fest — place is so very beautiful, I like the angle the sits are ion so you are quite high above the person in front. Not heaps of leg room — but ok. And the chairs are old. Bar serves good selection of stuff. But did I mention how besuited ul it is?

Such a beautiful venue! I wish I had reason to go here more often. SO SO PRETTY INSIDE!!!

One of the best live music venues I’ve been to in Melbourne. There’s three bars (with a decent selection that won’t require you to sell your first born), tiered seating and standing areas and they seemingly didn’t oversell the «sold out» gig I went to, meaning that there was still room to move and dance.
Maybe it’s a sign that I’m getting old, but I just don’t have the patience for tight crowds and uncomfortable surroundings while waiting to see a band anymore. If all venues were like the Forum I’d be seeing as many bands as I did in my «younger years».

The Forum has been home to many of my favourite gigs and the news that a band that I really want to see is playing there results in a little Happy Dance from me, even if only a mental one, 100% of the time.
A gig at the Forum somehow has the ability to feel like a stadium show and an intimate pub gig at the same time. It’s a big venue, but it never really feels over crowded. I’ve arrived many times with not much time before the show kicks off and have easily found myself standing in the front couple of rows. The sound here is amazing and the venue just looks plain freaking cool, and you can usually tell that the performers are appreciative of it as well.
There are a couple of smaller bars on either side of the floor area, a larger bar off to the side of the seats and another upstairs (I’m not sure how often this one is open though), so you never have to worry about lining up for too long for a drink. The location is great, close to Flinders St Station and right opposite Fed Square, so it getting here is a breeze.
The floor area is huge, but watch out for the sea of bottles covering the floor after the show… don’t trip! Behind the floor area there are a few large booths with tables that you can sit at that fit six or so people in them and these are raised up off the floor level and if you choose to sit here expect your view of the stage to be obscured by the crowd as the make their way up here for a raised view. Behind that are rows of seats that stretch across the whole room, ensuring that no matter how you like to watch a gig, you can do it here.
So if you see a band you like is playing at the Forum, do your little Happy Dance, buy those tickets, then get yourself to one of Melbourne’s best live venues where you can Happy Dance away with hundreds of others.

The main purpose of my week long trip to Melbourne was to check out all the music venues and The Forum did not disappoint!
A 1500 capacity room, the one level provides standing room at the front, then from around halfway back some booth seating and then rows of seating behind that.
There are 2 bars on either side of the standing area and another bar in a separate room next to the seating. Very good service & standard pricing.
The production is great, sounding A+ and very high energy for the whole performance. I was also surprised at how much room there was to breathe even though it was a sold out rock show (The Hives — a lot of crowd surfing), but it never brought the energy of the crowd down. Very good sight lines from the floor.
The décor of the room may seem a little tacky, but I have to say I adore it. Normally I’m not a fan of venues with high ceilings as I feel the energy is lost, but with the dark coloured walls and starry night above, you feel as though you’re in a mini-​festival setting but with better sound and less idiots. The statues on the side also give it more of a theatre feel to it, which makes the room also perfect for singer/​songwriter acts as well as heavier artists.
As one of the only 1500cap rooms in Melbourne and such a great location and vibe, the venue will continue to get a high quality of Australian and international artists on its stage. Definitely a room that makes me wish I lived in Melbourne.

I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve been inside the Forum for a gig. So many. And yet, whenever a tour announcement comes through from a band I’m keen to see and the Forum is listed as the venue, it still makes it all the more exciting. Seeing bands here is a real experience: this is Melbourne’s music church, where international and local bands are merely given the chance to appease the music gods in its beautiful interior, complete with sky-​painted ceiling to give the illusion of being outdoors.
The set-​up goes like this: stage with floor area in front, with two bars at each wing of the floor. Behind the floor is a few rows of booth seating — if you want a booth you have to pretty much be the first ones in — and even then it’s sometimes booked by labels or VIP etc. Then there are rows of bench seating up the back — as the floor is sloped, it’s a good view but I always feel too out of the action.

One of the better inner city venues, the Forum suits both music and theatre. Located a cross the road from ACMI and just down the road from Flinders St station, the place is easy to get to and easily spotted with its bright lights and what could be a Russian cone atop.
Inside the space is divided in seating and standing room, tables and rows of seating to the back and heaps of standing room up front. The sound and stage are consistently good for the ever changing events, and when the night draws to a close the taxis are already waiting outside.

It’s a funny old world we live in, isn’t it? I mean, did you know that you’re allowed to bring a baby to an a capella jazz singer’s performance? Furthermore, did you know that if I brutally murdered the mother and left the baby outside (I’m not a monster, after all), then I’d be the one charged? Funny old world.
And yeah, the Forum Theatre’s solid acoustics and sound dampening meant I could hear every cry that baby made, from all the way across the room. Lucky me.
That said, the forum’s a pretty nice venue. The cornicework and ornamental scrollwork outside the theatre proper is a bit tacky, but it’s not a big deal.

The Forum suits every kind of gig-​goer from the person who wants to sit back and slightly away from the action with a glass of bubbly, to the mosher who doesn’t mind being drenched in beer and sweat.
All kinds of acts are booked here. I most recently went to see Konono No. 1 as part of the Melbourne Festival and they created quite a dance and festive vibe in the Forum, which couldn’t be more different from seeing Steve Coogan in drag as the big blonde Pauline Calf as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival.
The Forum looks unlike any other gig venue in Melbourne with it’s sky ceiling and faux ancient Roman theatre décor. It’s quite a magical backdrop from which to see your favourite band. Two long bars frame the dancefloor/​standing space, and yet another bar sits in the sideroom.
The booth seating is always highly sought after and gives one the feeling of going to a ‘show’ rather than a gig and it’s an excellent way to enjoy the Forum with a group of friends.

I love going to concerts at the Forum Theatre. From the moment you walk inside you are in what appears to be an outside auditorium, surrounded by ancient roman pillars, statues and gargoyles and standing underneath a blue sky.
There are two bars which open 45 mins before the show. It is in such a great location you can meet friends at any of the fabulous bars close by for pre drinks and can carry on into the night after the show is over.
Look at tickets and book to see something here soon.

If you are the NUMBER ONE fan of a band, and you’re lucky enough to find out they’re booked at the Forum, you’ll never have a better time!
1. the BEST sound quality in town
2. never oversold
3. enough bars to not stand on line all night
4. plenty of space for dancing and dancing your way to the front of the stage and singing along with said favorite band in the world!
It’s much like other places in town, i.e. The Palace, but I think the Forum takes the cake!

The forum is a great place to see your favourite band, catch an indie movie during the Melbourne International Film Festival, or a great stand up act during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
I’ve seen bands in the main auditiorium, and the room looks amazing with the statues, art deco architecture, and great lights really adding to the room.
The second room holds stadium style seating which is where Ive seen many a comedian perfiorm in the past and the chairs are super comfortable for longer shows, and is much more like a traditional theatre suited to plays, musicals and non musical acts.
The full bars available dictate this to be an over 18’s venue, and drinks are moderately priced, in comparison to other live music venues– Id also recommend trying to grab a booth if you can!

Located right on Flinders Street, the Forum is a pretty amazing venue to see a band.
The best part are the statues surrounding the stage, all lit up and creating a feeling of greatness surrounding whoever it is that you might be seeing. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s a special thing to see.
If you get there early enough, you can snag yourself some of the booths in the upper sections, or just party on in the cleared space in front of the stage. Two bars flank the audience so you can get there when you need to.
Find yourself there during the Melbourne International Film Festival and you can grab a few beers and listen to several discussions about films by your favourite film-​makers. Or just enjoy a drink and soak in the atmosphere. It’s a unique space and there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else in Melbourne.

Ladies, if you go to a show at the Forum, make sure you check out the toilets. With floor space approximately the size of a house, there’s something very enjoyable about descending the stairs into a glamourous women only world for a few minutes.
The art-​deco venue is beautiful and makes any event that is held there very special. It is perfectly suited to many different styles of performance; I’ve seen indie pop, cabaret, progressive rock, folk and festival launch parties all carried off with great success. It might be the grand entrance hall, guaranteed to build anticipation of what’s about to come. Perhaps it’s the large amount of standing room, which is never allowed to be cramped and allows a pretty perfect vision of the stage for patrons of any height. Or perhaps it’s the large booths to sit in and convince yourself that you’re actually at an exclusive members club. Or even (and I suspect it might be this) it’s the fact that the stage and surrounds is a Roman forum, with statues and pillars, and a ceiling like the night sky. There is a lot of magic that goes on here. A lot of magic and a lot of joy.