The Creative Town Halls program hit 1,100 bookings in three months. Now Inner West Council is turning that success into Town Halls Alive, a festival series running across seven historic venues through 2026 and 2027.
The first festivals launch in May 2026 with film showcases at Leichhardt Town Hall featuring local Inner West productions, including CineFlux 2026 presentations and LGBTIQ+ films from the Mardi Gras Film Festival. Young Creatives showcases and multicultural performances will follow across the network.
For residents, this means regular programming at venues that sat largely empty for decades. For artists, it represents free access to equipped performance spaces with basic audio, lighting and staging.
Deputy Mayor Chloe Smith said the Creative Town Halls program had been a runaway success, bringing old civic venues to life with artistic creativity and vibrancy. The program launched in May 2024 after feedback at the Inner West Arts Summit identified a desperate need for more affordable and accessible creative spaces.
The numbers tell the story: usage for arts and cultural events jumped 260% compared to traditional town hall bookings. Mayor Darcy Byrne said the town halls were bursting with new artistic activity every week and being used more by the community than they had been in decades.
Marrickville Town Hall leads the network after its basement conversion into a live music venue in 2025. Deputy Mayor Mat Howard described Marrickville Town Hall as the jewel in the crown, saying making it a hub for live music and multicultural performance would make it shine even brighter.
Artists wanting to participate can apply through the Creative Town Halls program for venue access, though each applicant is limited to four weekend bookings per calendar year at subsidised rates. Ashfield Town Hall offers programmable stage lighting and sound systems, making it especially suited for live performance compared to other venues in the network.
Inner West Council did not make Creative Town Halls program staff available for additional comment beyond the announcement.
Creative Town Hall bookings for 2027 are not yet open, with the council focusing applications on securing 2026 dates through the current process.
Quick Facts
Inner West Council
Inner West Council is a local government area in Sydney’s Inner West region, formed in 2016 from the merger of Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils. It covers 35 square kilometres with an estimated population of 182,818 as of the 2021 census.
Creative Town Halls
A program launched in May 2023 that converted all seven Inner West town halls into free arts venues available for exhibition, rehearsal and live performance. The program achieved over 1,100 bookings in its first three months.
Marrickville Town Hall
Marrickville Town Hall dates from 1922 and features dramatic high ceilings, striking heritage features and large commercial kitchen. It can accommodate 500 people in theatre style seating including balcony seating.