Nottingham in the 1960s: The long-lost ballroom where The Beatles made their Nottingham debut in 1963

Many of you reading this won’t have been born in 1963, let alone have any memories of the year.

Notable news stories of 1963 include the UK enduring one of the coldest winters on record, the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy and the Great Train Robbery.

But 1963 was also the year that a little-known band from Liverpool released their debut album, and in doing so changed the history of music forever.

On March 22, 1963, The Beatles debut album Please Please Me was introduced to the public, sparking what would later become known as Beatlemania.

Rewind 15 days, to March 7, 1963, and the Fab Four were here in Nottingham to make their first ever appearance in the city.

Here’s the story of The Beatles first performance in Nottingham.

Where did The Beatles play?

With Nottingham’s iconic Rock City another 17 years off opening in 1963, bands of the era had to play in other music venues across the city.

For The Beatles, this meant that their debut performance in Nottingham was hosted at the Elizabethan Ballroom, which was located in Co-Op House, Upper Parliament Street.

Despite being just a couple of weeks away from the release of their debut album, the band were instructed to carry their own equipment into the venue. That’s rock ‘n’ roll!

Surprisingly, those who were fortunate enough to be inside the Elizabethan Ballroom that night were by no means fighting for space to see John, Paul, George and Ringo.

As bizarre as it may seem now, the venue was half empty.

How much were tickets?

Tickets were priced at 6/6d, which works out to around 35p in today’s money.

What a bargain!

Who else performed that night?

The Nottingham event was the first of manager Brian Epstein’s six ‘Mersey Beat Showcase’ concerts at different venues, which also featured Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas, the Big Three and Cilla Black.