I went here for the first time to see one of my favourite bands(Bad Religion), which I was shocked to find out was playing in a club. After reading a number of reviews here on Unilocal I have to admit I was a little bit worried, but it really wasn’t that bad. The floors were mostly sticky in the areas of the drink serving areas(of which there was one on every side of the main floor) and the bar I was leaning against, which was right behind the railing of the dance floor/mosh pit, was also sort of sticky. The bathrooms were not bad at all — the floors were getting wet as the evening progressed, but believe me, I am a regular at a number of establishments along Whyte Avenue and I have seen much worse. The sound and stage sightlines were good if you got a place in front of the stage, either on the floor or on one of the two upper levels, but if you were one of the poor folks behind the stage you were out of luck — even the band’s lead singer made mention of it at one point. I had to stand for over four hours as there is almost no seating save for a(literally) handful of stools. I would come here again if there was a band playing that I really wanted to see.
Amanda N.
Classificação do local: 2 Edmonton, Canada
Oh Union Hall. I use to come here like a lot of folks did when you just turned 18 and had no idea of standards and didn’t care what you put in your body as long as it was alcohol. The music was the top charts and the boys were looking for sex while the girls just wanted to dance. It’s been a long time since those days and the place has for decades gone under various changes. Now it’s considered a venue for concerts more than a night club. Now I would think that considering the very different clientele the place would receive now that they would change things around to make it more suitable but last night I found out I was wrong. The acoustics are terrible. So much that I wonder if artists knew how bad if they would refuse to play there. I feel for the bands that come from around the world and don’t realise what they are getting into. There is no «green room» really and the backstage is opened up so everyone can see and corner them as soon as they are off stage which can be a cool experience for the fan but maybe not so much for the artist. Union Hall has and clearly always will be a dingy, dirty hole in the wall. The décor hasn’t changed and the bathrooms are still disgusting. Learn to master the art of hovering ladies and bring hand sanitizer. The drink selection is shockingly bad. Even the beer selection had me shocked. The crowd for this concert was a good one and so I can’t say anything about security or feeling cramped as there was no problem there. And upon entering went smoothly and when security checked my purse and did a pat down of my boyfriend they were pleasant and funny. I really wish Edmonton had some more decent music halls so places like this isn’t where people and bands are stuck. But if you don’t want to miss the chance to see your favorites then I guess we got no choice. But they should maybe make more of an effort to make the standards higher. But that’s maybe why the tickets are so cheap.
Annie R.
Classificação do local: 4 Spruce Grove, Canada
I am not a nightclub person, I am a mid-30’s mom who likes to go to concerts. Having said that, I recently attended a concert a union hall for my favorite rock band on the planet. We had seen them before at the edmonton expo centre and that venue is the worst in the city. I feel that union hall is an incredible venue. I was able to stand less then 10 feet from the bands. The security had their shit together and was professional. The acoustics were perfect for the type of show that it was. $ 6.50 for a can of twisted iced tea was not something I was thrilled about. I will likely be back to see a show, not for the iced tea.
Jai E.
Classificação do local: 2 Edmonton, Canada
I don’t like this venue, and I really won’t pretend that I do. It is old, poorly managed, and just always dirty. A long time ago I stopped going to places like this because they just weren’t for me and this was one of the places I swore I would never go to again. However, with artists being book at the venue you really have to make a choice, give up on opportunity to see someone you enjoy or you don’t go. Either way, don’t complain. You should know exactly what you are getting into when you go. Over crowded, not enough security, fights, young kids who don’t know how to exist yet, and hot as hell.
Ryan L.
Classificação do local: 1 Edmonton, Canada
Suffers from everything wrong with a stereotype night club… enough said. sorry I mean this place dont even serve Budweiser, r how crappy of a place do you have to be to not even have that,
Amy M.
Classificação do local: 4 Edmonton, Canada
I went here on Halloween weekend initially and found everything too busy. My friends wanted to give it another chance a few weeks later, and I enjoyed it much more. I’ve gone pretty much every week since. The bartenders are great people and the drinks are good. This place is also good for just dancing, though it is kind of a drag being surrounded by drunk people when you’re sober. I’ve found that during the events that they hold — especially the ones on Saturdays — it’s way too busy, but on Fridays(ladies night, by the way) and any other night, it’s perfect. The crowd is big, but not suffocating. On Friday’s I try to go a little late because of the male strip show, but a good time can be had by all at this place.
Matthew L.
Classificação do local: 1 Edmonton, Canada
If I were both 18 years old, single and not a music snob, I would probably love this place. But i am 30 years old, married, and can be picky about music. As such, this really isn’t the place for me. The Union Hall plays all sorts of loud, obnoxious popular music from the last 20-or-so-years, and their signature event of the night is the«wet t-shirt contest,» which I just found to be kinda embarrassing, for the women who drunkenly stumbled up for the contest, for me as a clubgoer who is tired of the constant objectification of women, and for the emcee who’s trying to get people pumped up for it.
Jackie B.
Classificação do local: 2 Edmonton, Canada
For Young adults only. This is a place where the younger crowd goes to dance and party. I went here for my birthday and only came across 2 other people my age. I mostly danced with my boyfriend but its not a place to go for older crowd.
Kushwant B.
Classificação do local: 2 Montreal, Canada
Union hall is a nice place to have cheap drinks and stare at good looking girls. Apart from that, the place blows. For someone who is used to Montréal, this ‘happening’ place in Edmonton is just boring. At midnight the floor was still pretty empty despite the drinks for $ 2.75. The DJ was bad in the sense that the music was not inviting enough. You might also encounter a bunch of teenagers who clearly just got off their farm to come club without showering and trying to show off their ‘dance moves’. The architecture of the place also lacks that of a good club. There are way too many stairs and hazards for a good crowd. If you really want to party you might as well stay home and invite your friends for a BYOB.
Sunil P.
Classificação do local: 1 Edmonton, Canada
2 Words: Terrible Bar. The bouncers are on a power trip, were probably losers in high school and now want to take it out on everyone. I got kicked out of this bar for giving my friend the finger as a joke, the service is terrible, washrooms are filthy, ugly bartenders. I would not reccomend this dump at all. Save your time, save your money, go elsewhere!
Deniella G.
Classificação do local: 2 Edmonton, Canada
Ahhh Union Hall, I have spent many a drunken night here. This place is great if you are 40 years old and love 16 to 18 year old girls who wear miniscule amounts of clothing and pancake makeup to cover up their teenage acne while using their fake id’s to get in. If your a girl and you love awkward teenage boys who are just trying to get some action then this is the place for you! Last time I was here was for Halloween weekend on the Friday and the costumes were pretty sweet, definitely not as good as ones you may see at the Bear’s Halloween Howler but pretty sweet nonetheless. I also had the pleasure of seeing girls in the wet t-shirt contest who had braces… are you kidding me? The music they play is AWESOME! It’s usually Top 40 but they mix rock, punk, and metal in with it to which makes me happy when I have to come here. I always meet the most hilarious people in the smoke pit when I come here which makes the visit worthwhile. But the best thing about going to Union and no other bar in the city can top this… Is the Kubasa guy who sells Kubasa dogs in his food cart right outside the main doors. Never ever will you eat something this delicious. Hot, juicy, fresh right off the grill… OMG it is heaven. So if your brave enough to come here and get felt up by random strangers DONOT forget to grab a Kubasa dog on your way home, I promise you wont be disappointed.(You can even get sauerkraut added!!! :D)
Francesca K.
Classificação do local: 4 Edmonton, Canada
The Union Hall’s slogan is «Rock Harder» and they certainly do! I have been here too many times to count and it has always been super fun. It seems like it has a country-rock vibe to it. I used to go on ladies night when they had male strippers and very cheap drinks. The men stay upstairs and the women hang out downstairs to get rowdy. I always have a good time at Union. Sometimes the line is a little too long for my liking, but if you come early enough you can probably get in without a problem. They have student nights on Thursdays($ 3 hi-balls), Ladies night on Fridays(Free admission and $ 10 cash before 11) and Celebrity Saturdays(Wet t-shirt competition).
Jack G.
Classificação do local: 2 Edmonton, Canada
Not much I can say that the other reviews didn’t. I remember back when this place was called Tonic and it was much of the same. Top 40 music with fights breaking out all the time. The bar itself is 2 floors and pretty big. There is room to move around but the crowd is really up tight and don’t seem to care much about having fun as they do to looking the«scariest» or «hottest». The people working at the club are nice and easy going so I have no idea how that got lost on the crowd that comes here.