The Starlite Room
10030 102 Street NW, Edmonton AB
The Starlite Room has hosted many of the best names in the underground music scene since it was founded in 2004.
The building itself is a brick citadel relic from 1925, built one block south of Jasper Avenue and designed by prolific Edmonton architects Herbert Magoon and George Heath MacDonald. By 1965, the place of worship had been converted into the Citadel Theatre Company, followed by a series of music venues like the Bronx, Lush and Rev Cabaret, which housed performances by then-unknown grunge pioneers Nirvana to an audience of about 20 in the early 1990s.
Today, the Starlite Room building houses a complex featuring three different ways to experience live music and entertainment. The Main Hall is a members-only club, which requires a scant $5 annual membership fee for patrons age 18 and older (all minors attending all-ages show are welcome, though most of the venue's shows are 18+). Just be aware that purchasing a ticket to a show here does not include your membership, which must be bought separately (and hopefully before you’ve waited in line to get in). Acts who have performed in the Main Hall over the years include Toronto post-rockers Do Make Say Think, American hip hop duo Run the Jewels and Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould. The Main Hall is primarily standing room only, with seating in the back half of the space detailed with TV monitors that display a live feed of the shows.
In 2018, the Starlite Room opened the Temple Bar, an intimate venue space located inside the Starlite building. Strictly hosting 18+ shows, Temple does not require a membership, and has hosted bands including the Dirty Nil, Iceage and KEN Mode.
Formerly housing the Brixx Bar and Grill, the first floor of the building now features the River City Revival House restaurant and lounge, with a stage of its own hosting funk jams, open mics and karaoke. Minors are welcome before 8pm in the evenings, while the restaurant stays open for its adult patrons until the early hours of the morning.
The Starlite Room family supports the Northern Alberta Society for Animal Protection (NASAP) with a portion of their membership fees. NASAP, a volunteer-based registered charity, aims to lower euthanasia of homeless and unwanted animals through education of the public and government bodies.