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Melbourne · Venue

The John Curtin Hotel

A 300-capacity Carlton pub with a wraparound upstairs bandroom built for clear stage views.

Upcoming shows
19
Capacity
300
Address
29 Lygon Street, 3053 Carlton
Phone
(03) 9663 6350
Next show
Thu, 1 Oct 2026
Official siteDirections
The John Curtin Hotel in Melbourne

About The John Curtin Hotel

The John Curtin Hotel, usually called the Curtin, is a 300-capacity Carlton pub and concert venue with an upstairs bandroom arranged in a doughnut-like loop around a large stage. That shape gives much of the room a clear view during packed launches. Downstairs supplies the pub half of the experience: a free front bar, late DJs, food and a dance floor, directly opposite Victorian Trades Hall.

A lease fight with deep roots

The building began around 1860 as the Lygon Hotel, a corner public house opposite Trades Hall. It became the John Curtin Hotel in 1971, taking the name of former Labor prime minister John Curtin; the location helped make it a meeting place for unionists, students and Labor figures. In February 2022, operators announced that a sale and expiring lease put a November closure on the horizon. The prospect mobilised heritage advocates and unions. A ten-year lease for operator Ben Russell arrived on 25 November 2022, preserving the live-music operation, and the Heritage Council added the property to the Victorian Heritage Register on 31 March 2023.

The room, the bill, the bar

The Curtin takes gig and room-hire enquiries, with a calendar geared toward local bills, single and album launches, free front-bar shows and smaller international acts. Rock, indie and alternative form the core, alongside folk, electronic and jazz. For a concertgoer, the main advantage is practical: the upstairs bandroom’s circular layout keeps the stage visible across the floor. Before or after, the free front bar runs DJs on Friday and Saturday nights, with craft beer, wine and Sonny’s fried chicken and burgers downstairs.

Sources

  1. About — The Curtin
  2. The Curtin — What’s On Melbourne
  3. The John Curtin Hotel — Wikipedia
  4. It could be last drinks at famous John Curtin Hotel as owners put pub up for sale — ABC News
  5. Melbourne’s John Curtin Hotel to remain open as a live music venue as owner signs ten-year lease — NME
  6. Determination of the Heritage Council: John Curtin Hotel (H2426) — Heritage Council Victoria
  7. The John Curtin Hotel — Broadsheet

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