Christmas afternoon at the St Albans Organ Theatre with demonstrations of its working mechanical music collection, mince pies and non-alcoholic punch.
St Albans Organ Theatre is hosting its Mechanical Instrument Christmas Special on Sunday 13 December, a festive afternoon that brings together the venue's whole collection of mechanical music. It's part of the museum's Christmas programme, and it's one of those rare chances to hear the full range of what they have in one go.
The theatre is run by the St Albans Musical Museum Society, a registered UK charitable trust that's picked up the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. It doubles as a musical museum, and on a Sunday afternoon once a month, they open to the public and demonstrate all the working mechanical exhibits together, with an informal, descriptive commentary to explain what you're hearing. The collection runs from disc and cylinder musical boxes, hand-turned organettes and self-playing pianos to the rare Mills Violin Virtuoso and the large dance hall organs, with demonstrations of the Mighty Wurlitzer and Rutt theatre organs. The Christmas Special draws on that same collection, with a non-alcoholic punch on arrival and mince pies during the interval.
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The venue sits at 320 Camp Road, about two miles from St Albans city centre. The afternoon starts at 15:00, with doors open from 14:30 and the whole thing wrapping up by 17:30. Tickets are £12 for adults and £6 for children aged 11 and under, and it's free for SAMMS members, though you'll need to pre-book.
