Palais Theatre

Palais Theatre — St Kilda’s heritage opera and concert venue

The Palais Theatre sits on the St Kilda foreshore directly opposite Luna Park, fifteen minutes’ walk from the St Kilda Beach precinct and twenty from the Acland Street and Fitzroy Street restaurant strips. The theatre opened in 1927 as a movie palace and reopened after major refurbishment in 2017 as a working multi-purpose performance venue. It is the principal home of Victorian Opera‘s mainstage productions and a regular Melbourne venue for major touring concert acts.

The room

2,896 seats — the largest seated theatre in Australia by capacity. The room sits in stalls, dress circle and gallery formation, with the heritage Art Deco interior preserved through the 2017 refurbishment. The acoustic profile suits opera, large-scale touring concerts and amplified music; the room’s scale means it works less well for chamber-format opera or small-orchestra programmes.

Getting there

Tram routes 96, 16 and 12 stop directly outside; walk from St Kilda Beach (5 min) or from any St Kilda accommodation. Pair the production with Acland Street or Fitzroy Street dining — both ten to fifteen minutes’ walk from the theatre. Stokehouse, Donovans and the Fitzroy Street restaurants are the standard pre-show options.