KOKO, Camden: history, rooftop and how a night works

KOKO is at 1a Camden High Street, on the corner with Crowndale Road, a short walk from Mornington Crescent station. It is a live music and club venue, it is Grade II listed, and it was named Venue of the Year at the 2023 LIVE Awards. Tickets are bought per event, so the first job is always the listing: a gig and a club night here are very different evenings.

Getting there

Come out of Mornington Crescent station and the building is hard to miss: Secret London describes it towering over the streets as you leave. KOKO’s own FAQ puts Camden Town a ten-minute walk away, which is useful to know if the Northern line is sulking. Postcode is NW1, but check the exact one on your ticket, because the venue and the ticketing sites do not agree on the last two letters.

A short history of the building

It opened as the Camden Theatre on Boxing Day 1900 with a pantomime. The architect was W.G.R. Sprague, it cost £50,000, and the interior is Louis XIV in style under an Italian Renaissance exterior. It held 2,434 people, which made it one of the largest theatres in London outside the West End. Ellen Terry, then the most celebrated actress in England, opened it, and she had lived nearby in Stanhope Street as a child.

Then came the name changes, which are worth knowing if you ever hear an older relative say where they spent their youth:

• Camden Theatre, 1900 to 1909
• Camden Hippodrome Theatre, 1909 to 1913
• Camden Hippodrome Picture Theatre, 1913 to 1945
• BBC Camden Theatre, 1945 to 1977
• The Music Machine, 1977 to 1982
• Camden Palace, 1982 to 2004
• KOKO, from 2003 or 2004

In the BBC years the Goon Show was recorded here, and the first Monty Python’s Flying Circus album was recorded on 2 May 1970. Acts named by various sources across the later decades include Prince (with six-hour sets), Amy Winehouse, The Clash, Madonna, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Blur and Dave. Olly Bengough took a 50% stake in 2004 and became sole owner in 2016.

Fire, closure and the reopening

There was a short emergency closure in September 2018 over a load-bearing roof beam. KOKO then closed in March 2019 for a major refurbishment, first costed at about £40m, with a reopening planned for spring 2020.

On the evening of Monday 6 January 2020, just before 9pm, a fire broke out. Eight fire engines and about 60 firefighters attended, the fire was contained to the roof, and nobody was injured. The Camden New Journal reported that investigators believed the copper dome acted as a chimney and helped protect the theatre below. Pandemic delays and flooding pushed the works on further.

KOKO reopened on Friday 29 April 2022 with a sell-out Arcade Fire gig. ITV News put the redevelopment at £70m over three years. The building is now 50,000 sq ft, combining the Grade II listed theatre with two adjoining buildings.

What is inside now

The FAQ lists the main auditorium and six private balconies. The reopening added a late-night pizzeria and bar, a radio station, a shop, live-streaming facilities and a new acoustic music space. Time Out also lists a piano room, a private dining room, a library, vinyl listening rooms and a recording studio.

In May 2026, for the 125th anniversary, IQ Magazine reported a recording studio inside the House of KOKO penthouse club, with Solid State Logic equipment including the desk used for Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime show. There is also a new Miraval Members’ Balcony in the auditorium, giving House of KOKO members access to the venue’s roughly 150 live shows a year, plus a private bar. Celebrations began with a screening of the film If These Walls Could Talk, directed by Ned Botwood.

The rooftop and the dome

The top of the building is the part people ask about most, and the honest answer is that it is largely the preserve of House of KOKO. DesignMyNight describes it as a private members’ club spanning private dining rooms, a rooftop and a hidden cocktail bar in the dome. Hot Dinners said at the reopening that membership gives access to several floors towards the top of the building.

It is not all closed doors. KOKO’s events page advertises Roof Terrace Day Parties, billed as secret bank holiday Sunday all-day parties running 15:00 to 05:00, and Visit London says the rooftop bar is open in summer. If you want the roof, look for a ticketed rooftop event and read the listing for access rules before you set your heart on it.

How a night works

Live gigs. You need a ticket for that specific event, and many shows are 18+. Check the door time on the ticket, as it differs by show. Capacity has been reported at around 1,400 to 1,500, so a popular gig fills the floor; arrive early if you want a spot near the front or a decent view from the balcony.

Club nights. KOKO Electronic runs the late ones, ticketed per night, sometimes with a two-day pass. A recent example, Bedouin presents SAGA, ran 22:00 to 05:00 across a Friday and Saturday. Expect touring DJs in house, electronic and disco. Last train is not your friend here, so plan your way home first.

Heritage nights. The old Camden Palace years get their own events, including daytime Orange at Camden Palace parties and reunion nights. They are listed on the official events page alongside everything else.

Practical bits. Bag, entrance and medication policies sit on the FAQ page, so read them before you leave the house. Access queries go to access@koko.co.uk and the duty manager is on dutymanager@koko.co.uk. A visitor review on Tripadvisor mentions friendly door staff, a quick bar and earplugs available, which is the sort of detail worth checking on the night. Balcony booths are the sensible option if you would rather sit.

Dinner first: Café KOKO

Café KOKO is the venue’s own pizzeria and bar, described on the official site as selling NYC-style pizza and drinks until late. DesignMyNight calls it ideal for pre-gig dinners and drinks. Order a pizza and a drink there before doors, and check opening times on the day, as they are not fixed across the week.

The verdict

Go for the room: a 1900 theatre with a copper dome that survived a fire and a £70m rebuild. Pick your night carefully, buy the right ticket, eat early and decide how you are getting home before the headliner comes on.