Few buildings in downtown Orlando have answered to as many names as the one at Orange Avenue and Washington Street. Former mayor Braxton Beacham Sr. opened it on December 9, 1921, as a vaudeville and movie house, and it became a full time movie theater in 1936. Since then it has been a music hall, a laser show, a dinner theater and a string of nightclubs before coming back around to its first name.
Orlando, Orlando area
The Beacham
46 N Orange Ave, Orlando · 11 upcoming shows
Coming up here
More in OrlandoThursdayNov 5
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GWARwith Midnight, Mac Sabbath and X-CopsTickets
FridayNov 6
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Mannequin Pussywith Wednesday and SnooperTickets
SaturdayNov 7
SundayNov 8
MondayNov 9
ThursdayNov 12
MondayNov 16
Show 4 more shows from February 26 onShow fewer
FridayFeb 26
WednesdayMar 24
TuesdayApr 20
SaturdayMay 22
Know before you go
A century of names
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1921 to 1976 | Beacham Theatre |
| 1976 to 1981 | Great Southern Music Hall |
| 1981 to 1982 | Laser World |
| 1983 to 1984 | Moulin Orange |
| 1984 to 1987 | Celebrity Dinner Theater |
| 1988 to 1992 | Aahz |
| 1992 to 1994 | Dekko's |
| 1994 to 2000 | Zuma Beach Club |
| 2001 to 2010 | Tabu |
| 2011 on | The Beacham |
Who has played it
The vaudeville years brought the Ziegfeld Follies, John Philip Sousa and W.C. Fields. Later stages hosted Ray Charles, B.B. King, The Police, the Ramones, Soundgarden, the Pixies, Judas Priest and Slayer. In the Aahz years the room was a dance club, with DJs like Sasha and John Digweed in the booth.
The room today
The Beacham holds about 1,250. Since 2011 it has run in partnership with The Social next door, and the two clubs connect through a passage, which lets a band that has outgrown the smaller room move up without leaving the block. Check your ticket for doors, seating and any age limit.
Getting there
The address is 46 North Orange Avenue, on the downtown bar strip near Wall Street Plaza. SunRail's Church Street Station is a few blocks away, but regular trains quit early in the evening, so most people drive or take a rideshare. The city's Central Boulevard Garage is a short walk, and city garages have an evening rate for cars that pull in between 6 and 10 p.m. If you are parked downtown for a late show, walk back with your group, since Orange Avenue stays busy well past midnight on weekends.
Heavier bills here show up on the hard rock and metal calendar, and the rest of the area's shows are on the Orlando page.