Casino At Hampton Beach
- Seating At Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
- The Casino At Hampton Beach New Hampshire
- Queen At Hampton Beach Casino
Coordinates: 42°54′34″N70°48′40″W / 42.90944°N 70.81111°W
| Former names | Club Casino (1976-92) |
|---|---|
| Address | 169 Ocean Boulevard |
| Location | Hampton Beach, New Hampshire |
| Owner | Schaake family |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Opened | July 4, 1899 |
| Website | |
| www.casinoballroom.com | |
The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is a seasonal live music and comedy venue located on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, United States.The venue is open from April to November, and within those eight months schedules upwards of 70 shows. In 2010, Pollstar ranked the Casino. The former Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, reopened in the mid-1970s as Club Casino, will also under go cosmetic and structural changes, while continuing to attract the younger crowd, as it has since its. As New Hampshire's newest poker room and casino, we are excited to start helping local NH based charities meet their fundraising goals. Our facility, located at 81 Ocean Boulevard in Hampton Beach.
The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is a seasonal live music and comedy venue located on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, United States. The venue is open from April to November, and within those eight months schedules upwards of 70 shows.
In 2010, Pollstar ranked the Casino Ballroom #23 in the Top 100 Worldwide Club Venues.[1]
History[edit]
The facility was opened on July 4, 1899, by Wallace D. Lovell, who owned the Exeter, Hampton and Amesbury Street Railway Company, with the hope of bringing more business and tourism into the Hampton Beach area. In 1927, with performers beginning to achieve national stardom through various media, the ballroom was added to adapt to the changing nature of entertainment. The new owners wanted a facility that could hold 5,000 people, and thus the Casino Ballroom was born. After the expansion, the Casino Ballroom boasted the largest dance floor in New England, and 20,000 people made use of the massive space on a weekly basis that hosted acts such as Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington.[2]
The rise of rock and roll brought many more changes to the Casino Ballroom. The owners at the time sold the facility to a consortium of local businessmen interested in restoring it to its former glory. After renovating the facility and restoring many of its original features, the Ballroom reopened in the 1970s as Club Casino. Renovations, however, were not enough to draw promoters back to the venue. Seeing an opportunity, one of the new owners sought to book then-little-known names such as U2 and aging stars such as Ray Charles as a way of restoring the venue's reputation. His bet paid off, and following another renovation in the late '70s and early '80s, Club Casino began booking the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa Etheridge and Phish. So popular was the location, in fact, that it was able to fit 50 events into a three-month period, unheard of at the time for most music halls.
In the 1990s, the club started to develop a reputation for tough bouncers and strict rules against dancing. Again, changes were made to the Club Casino. In an attempt to regain some of its past glory, the name was changed back to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, the facade of the building was redone, and the adjacent hotel demolished. The venue's season now extends from April to November, and it continues to bring in some of the top names in entertainment.[3]
Notable events[edit]
On July 8, 1971, an additional 4,000 fans showed up to an already sold-out Jethro Tull concert with Yes on their first American tour as a supporting band. Ticketless fans started rioting and scaling the walls to climb in through the windows. Police and the National Guard were called in, and the incident resulted in the town of Hampton banning rock concerts for a number of years.[3]
On August 9, 1995, the day Jerry Garcia died, his former Grateful Dead bandmate Bob Weir and his band RatDog took the stage to play a show at the Casino. Fans and media outlets descended on the Ballroom, filling the venue's parking lot to hold a candlelight vigil while listening to the band play inside.[3]
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Micky Ward, professional boxer of The Fighter fame, fought Emanuel Augustus here on July 13, 2001. It was later named the 2001 Fight of the Year.[4]
The Casino Ballroom is the only venue in the world that has hosted three generations of the Nelson family: Ozzie & Harriet Nelson in the 1930s, Ricky Nelson in the 1960s and '70s, and Matthew & Gunnar Nelson in the 1990s.[5]
Notable performers[edit]
The following are some of the artists who have performed at the Casino Ballroom:[3]
- Bob Weir & RatDog
- The Pixies
- The Pretty Reckless
- The Ramones
References[edit]
- ^'Pollstar's Top 100 Worldwide Club Venues 2010', 10 January 2011. Retrieved on 2011-02-17.
- ^Trodson, Lars. 'Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom: A Century of Entertainment Excellence', 25-29 May 1999. Retrieved on 2011-02-17.
- ^ abcd'Casino Ballroom History', 30 July 2010. Retrieved on 2011-02-17.
- ^Garcia Quinones, Rafael. 'Revisiting the Fight of the Year for 2001: Micky Ward vs Emanuel Burton', 9 January 2010. Retrieved on 2011-02-17.
- ^'Historic New England Ballroom Features Bag End Bass Sound System'Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine, 10 June 1999. Retrieved on 2011-02-17
External links[edit]
Seating At Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
In Business since 1899
The Casino At Hampton Beach New Hampshire
The Hampton Beach Casino celebrated its official grand opening Saturday, July 15, 1899. More than one hundred years later it is still going strong. You can visit their website at www.casinoballroom.com . Below are some articles on the Casino's history.
Queen At Hampton Beach Casino
HISTORY
- Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, 1899-1999
- A special insert of Seacoast Newspapers, May 25-28, 1999
- The Hampton Beach Casino: 89 Years Young (And She is Still Kickin' Up Her Heels)
- By Bob Young, Seacoast Life , Summer 1988
- The Casino: 88 And Growing
- By John Grady, New Hampshire Seacoast Sunday , June 28, 1987
- History of the Hampton Beach Casino
- By Carmelle (Caron) Druchniak, New Hampshire Sunday News , February 12, 1983
- The Casino: The Way It Was
- By David Vaughan, Atlantic News , July 5, 1977
- Discover the Rich Music History of the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
- By Darren Garnick,New Hampshire Magazine, July 2015
- 111 years ago The Casino stood alone
- by Jayne de Constant, Hampton Union , July 16, 2010
- Baseball in Hampton - The Early Years
- By Michael Biseglia, Jr., Hampton Union , December 11, 2007
- The Soundtrack Of Our Lives
- By Mike Bisceglia, Hampton Union , March 31, 2006
- Singing the Praises of the Casino Ballroom
- By Cindy Burke, Herald Sunday , February 7, 1999
- Casino Owner Gambles on Grit and Good Judgment
- By Clare Kittredge, Business Digest , August 1984
- Hampton Beach Casino and Ocean House Renovated
- A 1950 article from the Hampton Union
- Street Railway Pavilion
- From the Exeter News-Letter , April 21, 1899
A serving platter from the Casino, ca. 1900
[Courtesy John & Connie Holman]CONTEMPORARY NEWS STORIES
- New beach businesses added to Casino
- Hampton Union, August 1, 2014
- New charitable gaming room coming to Casino
- Hampton Union, June 24, 2014
- Sal Lupoli brings big changes to Hampton Beach Casino complex
- Hampton Union , May 9, 2014
- Casino Mall gets makeover at Hampton Beach
- Hampton Union , May 10, 2013
- Pizza Mogul Sal Lupoli Shares Vision
- Hampton Union , October 12, 2012
- Lupoli: Fresh Look Coming Soon for Casino Biz
- Hampton-NorthHamptonPatch, October 10, 2012
- New Casino owner: Hotel could be in the plans
- Hampton Union , March 27, 2012
- New Owner Right Fit for Casino
- Hampton Union , March 16, 2012
- Hampton Beach Casino Property on Verge of Sale
- Hampton Union , March 13, 2012
- 111 years ago The Casino stood alone
- By Jayne de Constant, Hampton Union , July 16, 2010
- Hampton Beach Casino Settles Lawsuit
- By Patrick Cronin, Hampton Union , November 13, 2007
- Fire Cause May Be Announced
- By Patrick Cronin, Hampton Union , July 10, 2007
- Cause of Beach Fire Unknown
- By Patrick Cronin, Hampton Union , July 6, 2007
- The 2000 season, and a bit of history
- From the Seacoast Newspapers 'Spotlight' section, May 4, 2000
- Club Casino Lures Crowds To Hampton Beach With 'A Little Bit Of Everything'
- From New Hampshire Business Review , July 16-31, 1986
RELATED LINKS
- Trolleys to the Casino
- Read what trolley historian O.R. Cummings had to say about the Casino in his excellent history of the trolley lines.
- Hampton: A History of Town and Beach
- Read Hampton historian Peter Randall's chapter on the coming of the trolleys and the Casino.
- Hampton Beach Band Concerts
- These took place both inside and outside of the Casino
- History of the Miss Hampton Beach Pageant
- Included is a history of the Casino.