Costs for hiring the Palais are set by the council each year and are kept very reasonable (see 'Read our Fees and Bond Requirements' on this page).
The Palais Theatre has a number of areas/rooms for hire: the Main Hall, the upstairs Supper Room and the Noni-Carr room. To help you decide which area to hire, you can find additional information about each area/room on this page. You can also access a copy of the Palais Floor plans here
Check if the date you require appears to be available for that area/room. The calendars for each room/area are on the right side of this page. If the date appears free, return here to fill out the booking form below. If you have any questions please phone 0455 568 965.
PLEASE NOTE
Your booking date is not confirmed until you send us the booking form and receive confirmation that the date you request is indeed available (occasionally a booking is pencilled in, but not yet confirmed on the calendar)
Fill in the Hall Hire Application Here
The Palais Main Hall
The Main Hall is a large 12 metre by 21 metre polished timber floor area and includes a stage that is 7.6m deep by 12.2m wide.
The Supper Room
An intimate upstairs room perfect for small to medium sized meetings.
The Noni-Carr Room
The Noni-Carr room is suitable as a small meeting room (8 – 10 persons) or as a bar for the main hall with a drinks fridge.
Room Hire Charges - July 2023 - June 2024
Hall hire fees and bonds are set by Council on 1 July each year.
Hire charges cover access to the hall or room hired, for the agreed period (hire fee includes time required to set up beforehand, and to clear up after the event).
It is possible that the Main Hall and the Supper Room may be hired simultaneously for two different activities. If you believe the activity you are organising is not compatible with another activity, please mention this at the time of signing the hire agreement.
Note – the Franklin Palais Collective operates a small shop in a room at the front of the Palais from 10am to 3pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Funds raised by the Collective help pay the costs of operating and maintaining the Palais Theatre. If you believe the event you are organising is not compatible with this, please discuss with the Booking Officer at the time of signing the hire agreement.
HALL HIRE FEES
(Mon - Thurs)
|
HALL HIRE FEES
(Fri - Sun)
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Meetings with 15 or less attendees rate: $15 per hour for non-profit community organisations or groups.
Bonafide Community Groups rate: $15/hour.
Health and Wellbeing Rate, Arts and Culture Rate and Community Development or Bona Fide Community Group Rate are to be applied when the venue is rented for an event or activity that does not aim to generate profit. Final discretion sits with the relevant Hall Committee. The community rate applies to venue hire only - it does not include other costs such as insurance, hire of glasses, urns, technical equipment or assistance etc.
Event set up and breakdown - Normal room hire rates apply for the time needed to set up prior to your event, and breakdown of the event.
If any one Hall or Meeting Room is hired more than once a week by the same user, the hire fee can be discounted by 25% (not applicable to community groups hire rates)
Bonds
The Palais Management Committee manages a bond system for hall hirers, on behalf of Council. All bonds must be paid prior to the event, and are refundable when all Hall Hire Terms and Conditions are met (see our website page https://franklinpalais.com.au/bookings/)
- An event bond of $250 per hire (covers damage, breakages, or any additional cleaning required)
- For events where alcohol will be consumed (e.g. weddings, birthday parties, fundraisers etc.) the function bond is $500.
- Please note that on completion of your hire, the venue must be left clean and tidy, with all furniture returned to its original location – if not, there will be a minimum fee of $50 to cover any additional cleaning/tidying costs
Equipment Hire Rates
The Palais Theatre offers a number of additional items that are available for hire, if requested. All items are to be returned in a clean state and breakages must be notified to the Booking Officer.
Note: If hiring cups then teaspoons and milk jug are included.
Glasses (wine, champagne) |
$22 per 100. (breakages = $3 per glass) |
Urn / day | $10 |
Cups (if not hiring glasses) | $10 |
Urn + glasses + cups | $32 |
EFTPOS Machine
Food Vans |
We prefer hirers use their own EFTPOS machine. A $10 flat fee will be charged for the use of the Palais EFTPOS$10 per power point used |
Sound System / Projector Hire Rates
A. Hire
The Palais sound System (PA + microphone) is available for use by hirers for $15.
We also have a table-top data projector + screen - $25 ($10 community rate)
Digital cinema projector
- $100 per use/day (includes up to one hour of technical assistance)
- Community Rate $70.00 per use/day (includes up to one hour of technical assistance)
- A separate equipment bond of $250 is applicable and must be paid prior to the event
B. Technical Assistance
Technical assistance is usually required to set up, demonstrate the operation of equipment, plus correct pack-up and storage of equipment after the event.
An hourly fee of $24 will apply (as at July 2021), and an estimate of the total fee will be agreed with the hirer before the hire commences.
The technical assistance fee will start at the base level of $24; if additional time (after the first hour) is required (e.g. training, multiple visits to the Palais), each 15 minutes will be charged at $6. For example: 1.75 hours of technical support will incur a total technical fee of $42. One hour of technical assistance is included in hire of digital projector.
Event Signage
Hirers may hang one banner for their event - on the north wall of the Palais Theatre, where existing tie down points are found. Conditions are
- Sign can only be hung max 7 days before the event
- The Palais Chair must be notified by email which day the hirer wishes to hang the sign, and the Chair must agree to this beforehand
- Note - we normally hang the Palais Market sign a week before the market (on 4th Sunday of each month) and this has priority
- If there is more than one event with signage, the PMC reserves the right to decide which signs are are hung, and when
- Signs must be attached using ONLY the existing tie-down points i.e. turnbuckles
Cleaning costs
Before your hire begins, we will let you know what we expect from hirers regarding tidying up and cleaning at the conclusion of an event. Hirers will be charged a fee to cover the cost of additional rubbish disposal, or cleaning or tidying up, if required after the event.
If you wish the Palais contract cleaner to clean on your behalf, this needs to be agreed with them, and arranged at least 2 weeks ahead of your event. Please mention this to our Booking Officer well ahead of your hire. the contract cleaners contact details are:
Trish Johns
0409 563 357
INSURANCE AND ALCOHOL AT THE PALAIS
Your event must be insured - and insurance depends on whether alcohol will be consumed at your event - either for sale or BYO.
- EITHER send us a copy of the Certificate of Currency for your own Public Liability insurance
- OR you can purchase insurance for $30 through Huon Valley Council.
B) IF YOUR EVENT IS BYO ALCOHOL ONLY you must:
- ensure you have Public Liability insurance that will cover this - Council does not provide such insurance.The most affordable PL insurance we have found is https://www.localcommunityinsurance.com.au/insurance/event/about.aspx but you may prefer to purchase from another organisation. We will need to view your Certificate of Currency.
- If a function is "BYO only", generally a liquor permit is not required.BUT If liquor is being provided by way of an entry fee into a function, a cost per glass or pre-sold tickets then it is considered that liquor is being sold and a special permit will need to be obtained. A special permit is not required for private functions such as weddings or birthdays where the liquor is provided by the host at his/her own expense.
C) IF YOU ARE SELLING ANY ALCOHOL AT YOUR EVENT you must:
- ensure you have Public Liability insurance that will cover this - Council does not provide such insurance.The most affordable PL insurance we have found is https://www.localcommunityinsurance.com.au/insurance/event/about.aspx but you may prefer to purchase from another organisation. We will need to view your Certificate of Currency.
- PLUS you must apply for a 'Special Liquor permit' for your event (see separate information sheet). We can provide information to help you do this. We will need to view your Liquor Permit.
If you don't want, or are not able, to run a bar during your event, the Palais Management Committee may be prepared to do this - with the profits from the bar going to support the Palais Theatre. We will require at least 3 weeks notice, in order to make sure we have enough volunteers on the night. In this case, insurance requirements are as per A) above
Insurance and alcohol July 2023
The Palais has limited food preparation and food warming facilities. Please discuss your needs with the Booking Officer prior to confirming your booking to avoid potential disappointment. Charities and community organisations play an important role in our community, and fundraising events are a major contribution to the work of the community. But no one wants people to get sick from the food they eat at these events. In Australia, Food Standards Australia New Zealand law places important responsibilities on the proprietor of a food business. If you are the organiser of an event or an official of a charity or community organisation that is selling food, it is necessary to be aware of these responsibilities. Complying with the law is straightforward if you understand your legal responsibilities and plan your events properly and in good time. Please follow the link to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Charities and Community Organisations Fact Sheets here to view or download any required facts sheets for food safety standards when catering an event.