Private Functions
With two fully equipped rooms, exclusive hires and long licenses, we can help you put the FUN in function, no matter the shape or size.Your night. Our place.
Your milestone deserves more than a generic function room. Fringe Common Rooms is a fully-restored heritage ballroom inside the Victorian Trades Hall, one of Melbourne's most iconic buildings. Five minutes from Melbourne's CBD, available for exclusive private hire any night of the week.
Milestone birthdays. Leaving parties. End-of-season celebrations. Work dos. Anniversary dinners. Awards nights. Whatever the occasion, we’ll make it a night worth talking about.
If you have a date in mind, get in touch early.
“The venue was phenomenal, and the experience was unparalleled. Not only did the venue suit our event perfectly, but it also matched our values of inclusion, accessibility, gender expression, equality, and sexuality.”
What people celebrate here
Looking for a private function venue in Carlton or Melbourne CBD? We're available for exclusive weeknight hire any night of the week. Rest assured, we're pretty much up for anything, but here's a few of the events we're well know for doing best:
Milestone birthdays
30th, 40th, 50th, 60th — but heck, come on round for your 43rd if that's the celebration that speaks to you. Plenty of space for a big crowd, a stage for speeches or a surprise performance, and a bar that stays open until 3am. No rushing out at 10pm.
Engagement parties
You're already planning a wedding. The last thing you need is another event that's complicated, expensive, or feels like a compromise. The engagement party should be a night you get to enjoy. Exclusive hire at Fringe Common Rooms means no venue hire fee, no locked-in caterer, and a heritage ballroom in Carlton that looks a million dollars without costing it. Just tell us the date and the guest list. We can help handle the rest.
Leaving & farewell parties
Give someone the send off they actually deserve. Exclusive hire means the whole space is yours. No sharing with strangers, no background noise from another table. Just your crew, the music you want, and a venue they’ll remember.
Anniversary celebrations
If your anniversary has earned more than a dinner reservation, Fringe Common Rooms will make it feel like the occasion it is. Heritage grandeur, a room full of character, and not a paper tablecloth in sight (unless of course you're celebrating your first).
Sports club awards nights & end-of-season celebrations
The Ballroom seats 114 theatre-style and holds 250 standing, the right size for most club awards nights. A professional stage and PA for the presentations, a full bar for the celebrations, and a 3am licence for the after-party. The heritage Trades Hall is a genuinely impressive backdrop for a club that wants to do the occasion justice. Footballers, cricketers, netballers, rowers, rugby players, if your club needs a home for its annual awards night in Melbourne, get in touch.
Dance schools & performing arts end-of-year concerts
The Ballroom was built for this. A professional stage with a full LED lighting rig, a PA system that does the performances justice, and a heritage room that makes an end-of-year concert feel like a genuine event rather than a school hall showcase. The Lounge is available as a dedicated green room, somewhere for performers to warm up, change, and gather their nerves before they go on. As the home of Melbourne Fringe Festival, we understand what performing artists need, and we’ll make sure your students feel like the professionals they’re becoming. Dance schools, drama schools, music schools, and performing arts groups, get in touch to discuss your end-of-year concert or awards night in Carlton.
Community & association events
Fringe Common Rooms is housed in the Victorian Trades Hall, a building with genuine meaning to Melbourne’s community organisations, unions, and associations. If your group is looking for a home for its annual celebration or awards evening in Carlton, this is a venue that shares your values.
Not so nocturnal? Fringe Common Rooms looks just as beautiful during the daytime. Check out our Daytime Hire page if you're interesting in having an event while the sun's still up.
What makes Fringe Common Rooms different
Wondering what sets a function venue in Carlton's heritage ballroom apart from every other option in Melbourne? Here's what you get at Fringe Common Rooms that you won't find elsewhere.
No venue hire fee
There's no venue hire fee at Fringe Common Rooms. Instead of paying to walk through the door, you commit to a minimum spend at the bar, meaning money that goes directly into drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) for your guests, not into our pockets as a room charge. The minimum is set based on your guest count and night of the week, and confirmed when you book.
A heritage venue with genuine character in the heart of Melbourne
164 years of history. Vaulted timber ceilings, hardwood floors, original Victorian detail, and a mirror ball that’s been there long enough to have its own personality. Centrally located in Carlton, five minutes from Melbourne CBD makes it easy for guests to get to from anywhere in the city. No amount of theming or decoration replicates what this building already is.
Late night licence
We’re licensed until 3am. Your function doesn’t have to end when the kitchen closes or when the neighbours complain. Stay as long as the party lasts or your lower back will hold out.
BYO catering freedom
Fun House Food Group is our preferred caterer for events at Fringe Common Rooms. They know how to feed a room fast, flexibly, and with menus that work across dietary needs.
But, Fringe Common Rooms also accepts BYO catering, so what your guests feast on is ultimately up to you! Catering that has worked well for previous weddings includes beautiful grazing tables, large dishes of paella, buffet style dinners, and, for more casual affairs, pizza.
Entertainment that’s actually entertaining
This is where Fringe Common Rooms is genuinely different from every other function venue in Melbourne. Through our Festival connections, we can connect you with a network of performers who know how to work a crowd: DJs, comedians, frocked-up drag MCs, cabaret performers, burlesque artists, and a host of other acts who do this for a living. Want a surprise performance for a milestone birthday? A comedian MC for your awards night? A DJ who reads the room properly? We can help make that happen. Chat to us when you enquire.
Full accessibility
Step-free access throughout, lift access to the first floor, accessible bathrooms, and a wheelchair lift to the stage. Every guest, every celebration.
“This venue has got so much going for it. It would be so hard to find somewhere else that offers better value for money. The room already has a stage/professional lighting rig/sound system and private bar in the room. Not having to BYO sound and lighting equipment saves SO MUCH time and money. Plus, a permanently installed disco ball and fringe installation means the room already has a 'vibe' without needing too much beautification.”
The Ballroom
The main event. A heritage performance space with vaulted timber ceilings, hardwood dancefloor, professional stage, full bar, and a lighting rig that makes everyone look good. This is where the dancing happens, the speeches get made, and the mirror ball earns its keep.
- Capacity: up to 174 standing,114 theatre-seated, 250 with The Lounge combined
- Stage: 5m deep × 4m wide, raised platform with wheelchair lift
- Full PA system, LED lighting rig, DJ decks
- Full-service bar
- Hardwood floors
- Step-free, wheelchair accessible
The Lounge & Outdoor Balcony
A second salon-style room with soft furnishings, mood lighting, and old-world charm. Perfect as a breakout space, a quieter area for guests who want a more intimate chat, or a combined hire that gives your event real room to breathe.
The outdoor balcony gives guests fresh air, a breathing space from the dancefloor, and a designated area for smokers.
- Capacity: up to 76 people
- Included at no extra cost for most full Ballroom hires
- Step-free, wheelchair accessible
Getting Here
Fringe Common Rooms is centrally located in Carlton, just 5 minutes from Melbourne CBD, in the heart of the city's vibrant arts and culture precinct. The venue is housed in the historic Victorian Trades Hall, situated near RMIT University, a short walk from Lygon Street cafés, restaurants, and shops, and close to Carlton Gardens and the Melbourne Museum. Fringe Common Rooms is easy to reach by tram, train, and bus, with multiple stops within a short walking distance. Celebrate with ease — see how simple it is for your guests to get to Fringe Common Rooms.
Address
Fringe Common Rooms
Trades Hall
Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts
Carlton VIC 3053
Pricing
There's no venue hire fee at Fringe Common Rooms. Instead of paying to walk through the door, you commit to a minimum spend at the bar, meaning money that goes directly into drinks for your guests (we have a fabulous selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on offer). The minimum is set based on your guest count and night of the week, and confirmed when you book.
Weeknight minimums are lower than weekend rates. Get in touch and we'll come back to you within 2–3 business days with availability and a custom quote. A $500 deposit is required to confirm your booking, and final payment is made prior to the event or on the night via credit card. If you still have questions about how the minimum spend model works, our team is more than happy to help answer.
How to book
Here’s exactly how booking at Fringe Common Rooms works.
Step 1 - Get in touch
Fill out our enquiry form with your event details: occasion, approximate guest numbers, preferred date, and any questions you have. We'll come back to you within one business day with availability and a clear quote.
Step 2 - See the space (optional)
We offer free, obligation-free venue tours Monday to Friday. Totally optional, but highly recommended. See both spaces in person, meet the team, and get a feel for the room before commit.
Step 3 - Lock in your date
Bookings are confirmed with a $500 deposit, taken out of your minimum bar spend. Final guest numbers and any technical requirements are needed 10 business days before your event. Cancellation fees apply.
Step 4 - Show up and enjoy it
The rest of the night is up to you and your guests!
Functions Info Pack
Download
Any night of the week is available for exclusive hire. Weeknights have more flexible availability and lower minimum bar spends than weekend bookings. Friday and Saturday nights book quickly, so get in touch early if you have a specific date in mind.
The Ballroom holds up to 174 standing or 114 theatre-seated. Combined with The Lounge, total capacity is up to 250 guests. For smaller groups, The Lounge can also be hired independently.
Yes. We don’t have exclusive agreements with any caterer, so the food is entirely your choice. Previous functions have used everything from grazing tables and paella to pizza and food trucks. We can also connect you with our preferred catering partner if you’d like a recommendation.
Through our Melbourne Fringe Festival connections, we can connect you with DJs, comedians, drag MCs, cabaret performers, burlesque artists, and more. If you have a specific entertainment idea, chat to us when you enquire and we’ll see what we can do.
Yes, and we’d love to hear from you. The Ballroom seats 114 and holds 250 standing, with a professional stage and PA for presentations and a full bar for the celebrations. Get in touch with us to discuss.
We’re licensed until 3am. Not every event will keep raging until the wee hours, but you can be confident that your function can keep partying as long as you can.
There’s no dedicated on-site parking at Trades Hall, but street parking is available in the surrounding Carlton streets and several paid car parks are within easy walking distance. The venue is well connected by tram, train, and bus. See how easy it is to get to Fringe Common Rooms.
Yes. Fringe Common Rooms has full step-free access, lift access to the first floor, accessible bathrooms on both floors, and a wheelchair lift to the stage. If you have specific accessibility requirements, let us know when you enquire.
Absolutely. We offer free, obligation-free venue tours and would encourage you to see the space before you commit. Fill out the enquiry form to arrange a time.
