Venue Cymru is a fantastic addition to the seaside town of Llandudno, allowing residents of this rather quaint little town to enjoy a number of theatre shows, musical performances and events that normally would be out of reach to those who do not live within cities. Venue Cymru has it all – a great stage, excellent numbers of seats, and a series of high quality seafront hotels in Llandudno. Many of these are primed to offer excellent stays by the seaside at a low rate – and offers absolutely everything you’d expect from a venue within any British city.

Venue Cymru has hosted very many events over the years. The building stands right on the edge of town close to the Little Orme. On the edge of Llandudno’s beautiful promenade, with a procession of these pretty Victorian hotels all along the seafront. Venue Cymru has stood proud on Llandudno’s seafront for well over 100 years, and has undergone a series of name changes as part of each phase of its existence. While the purpose of this theatre building has rarely changed, the names the building has been known by well and truly have. Each and every one of the names given to Venue Cymru are one grandiose and stunning – and a very far cry away from Venue Cymru’s original name of “Ty’n y Ffrith” or in English, “The House in The Sheep Pasture.”

Venue Cymru was first renamed the Victoria Palace, when it was opened in July, 1894. While originally only a temporary building, Venue Cymru was designed as a 1150 seat concert hall for a 42 person orchestra for a single performance and named the Victoria Palace. This was decided through the fact that the orchestra had actually fell out with the operators of Llandudno Pier.

After the performance, the acoustics within the temporary building were praised, and other musicians sought to perform at the Victoria Palace, and it was agreed that the Victoria Palace would become its own venue in its own right. In perhaps a gesture of competition, there were plans for there to be a pier erected outside the Victoria Palace close to the Little Orme.

In 1900, the Victoria Palace was renamed to the Llandudno Opera House, and then the Hippodrome some time after that. The Hippodrome was perhaps the biggest variance on Venue Cymru’s theme – hosting both theatre shows, a gigantic roller skating rink, and a dance hall.

In 1916, Venue Cymru was purchased again and renamed to the Arcadia, and went strong until 1968 when the Llandudno Urban Council purchased the theatre. It had a number of features including squash courts, sunbeds and badminton courts and operated strictly in the summer, until 1993.

The building was then purchased by Conwy County Council who renamed the building the North Wales Theatre and Conference Centre, and renovated the building extensively to create a 1500 seat theatre, and a 700ft conference hall with capacity for a further 800.

The North Wales Conference Centre was then renovated much further and renamed Venue Cymru in 2005, and the additions of a café, a restaurant, office space and a box office were added to the building. It was by this further expansion and further renovation that this historic building truly became truly became what it is today, a theatre in North Wales which draws enormous acts in, month after month.