Wise Hall

You shouldn’t like the Wise hall. Its so great it needs to be kept secret.

@wisehall is a smallish historic hall, full of character (and characters) that fulfills a variety of local event needs. #1 there’s a stage. #2 there’s a bar #3 it’s well ventilated. #4 parking out front means *FOOD TRUCK (s) ! I love the organic feel of this hall.
Down sides, it’s in a residential area and some have complained about noise when there are loud bands playing. The folks that manage the Wise Hall events are doing their best to comply with all requests and there seems to be an agreement. My favourite event is the Eastside Flea a casual browse for loads of cool things. Arts, crafts, small batch artisan foods, thrift, altogether and coffee & eats truck outside. The next one is on April 12^th.
Find the Eastside Flea on FB.

I’ve been here for a few events throughout the years, some craft, some burlesque, some other shows etc. To me it’s small barn with a bar and a stage, nothing fancy, no fuss, not too ghetto, however, serves the purpose for what it is. Not too far off the drive and a 20 minute walk to the station.

I went to the Taboo Revue Burlesque Variety Show at the Wise Hall, and I gotta say, for a show like this, this venue is perfect. I’m guessing the venue supplied the chairs for the show, and the sound system and tech guy to run it — but I’m not 100% sure so don’t quote me on it. The stage is elevated enough that even if you’re a shorty, you can see everything from your seat, and the theater lights on the stage make everything look purdy, and when you’re up there in pasties and a thong, those are really important factors. There must be a pretty generous space backstage for the performers, as there were quite a few people involved in the show and they all had multiple costume changes and props.
The Screaming Chicken Theatrical Society is fuckin’ awesome. These ladies (and dudes!) are not only smokin’ hot, but also super funny, so you’re gonna see a combination of sexy choreographed dance moves that tell ridiculously funny stories. If you’re a creep like me, you should definitely check out one of their shows, cuz if this review was about them it would be five stars.
Parking at the Wise Hall is a bit of a pain in the ass, there is only street parking and because the Hall is in a residential area, most of it is taken up by people that actually live in the area, so you may find yourself driving in circles for a few minutes. On the flipside, you can take transit, but walking a few blocks in heels isn’t my favourite, but that could be because my heels are more like stilettos, that way if anyone gets out of line I can use my shoe as a weapon and stab somebody.
I was pretty stoked that the Wise Hall had more drinking selection than just beer and wine, and I was able to get a rum and diet coke and a guiness for the BF (which was on tap) for $ 11.25, which is pretty cheap, so obviously I got stupid drunk. There’s nothing like spending a night out looking at half-​naked chicks getting blasted! I am happy to report that the bathrooms were nice and clean and there were four stalls in the ladies room, so I never had to do the pee dance for very long. Bathrooms in bars and such can be sooooo hit and miss, so its always a treat when you go somewhere where you don’t have to hold the broken door shut and pee at the same time. Or maybe I just hang out in too many dives?
I’d totally go to another show at the Wise Hall, but I’d be sure to make a plan of attack first depending on what I was going to wear and how I was going to get there.

WISE HALL!
Here’s why you should love Wise Hall like I love Wise Hall:
Chandeliers
Alcohol
Stage
The Wise Hall is the perfect combination of fantastic. They have a great space, the sound is pretty decent for live music and spoken events, they have a liquor license and, well, it’s located in lovely East Van.
As someone who has planned many an event in my time, the Wise Hall is both a fantastic venue for fundraisers, concerts, book launches. You don’t really have to worry about parking, it’s close to transit if you don’t drive, all in all this place is fantastic.
And it’s got great chandeliers!

You have to be a member or have a member with you in order to party here, but once you are in, it’s all darts and foosball and snooker and cheap beer. There are two choices of wine: red and white. They somehow still have Granville Island Winter Ale on tap in late March. The ladies who work here are awesome. You can buy microwave popcorn from the vending machine and then pop it in the microwave.
Did you know that WISE stands for Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English?

This is an unfussy, casual hall to watch some entertainment and enjoy some drinks. The service is stellar and there is a lot of good shows to see here. If there was a community dance night here, I would definately come because the floor is fantastic for dancing!

The historic type of theatre and place to see the next Metric or a fantastic Winter Market. Wood, wood, and more open space than your backyard, with a cash bar and members club downstairs. WISE is an acronym for Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English and everyone is welcome. Quiet place to read, watch tele and have a pint o Guinness. Music upstairs and private club downstairs nestled in an east end neighbourhood. cool on the down low. Say hi to «Monte»

Oh the Wise Hall. It has a charm about it that I can’t quite explain. During my last visit there (for the amazing Rain City Chronicles) I was quite taken by the ancient fabric wallpaper, plain architecture and modest bathrooms. It’s a humble venue perfect for grassroots, intimate events. And by intimate, I mean 200 people intimate. It is apparently 150 years old (I find this hard to believe) and has zero natural light inside. Perfect for late night gigs or gigs in winter (I can’t stand losing out on natural light if any is available, but during winter, no loss!) but in summertime, the contrast is not to my liking.
Good plain, raw space for community events, but not gala material!

Burlesque show

It’s always a mistake to relive your youth. In my case I decided to attend an airband contest. First of all WISE Hall is a giant hole in the wall, modestly decked out as a performance venue. It has that ominous, old, dank, Vincent Price feel where rats would feel right at home… very cosy.
The venue is small that the acoustics is completely lost, like my hearing after the band slam. It gets very hot with performers overheating and the audience radiating alcohol-​induced afterglow. The only solution was to open all entrances and emergency exits, and this was when I experienced my youthful rebelling moment knowing that the neighbourhood had to listen to the slaughtering of bass guitars.
[insert knarly-​tongued Gene Simmons impression]