Venue: Cliffs Pavilion
Address: 33 Southampton Street
Town: Southend-on-Sea, GB

Cliffs Pavilion (locally known as the Cliffs) is a theatre, sports, exhibition and concert venue located on Station Road in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England, a suburb within the city of Southend-on-Sea. It is the largest purpose-built arts venue in Essex, and the largest capacity of any theatre in the East of England. In 2006, the operation of Cliffs Pavilion, along with the Palace Theatre, were handed to HQ Theatres by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. HQ Theatres merged with Trafalgar Entertainment in 2021. In February 2022, Cliffs Pavilion hosted a concert named He Built This City, a tribute to the murdered MP for Southend West Sir David Amess. Plans for a theatre, the Shorefield Pavilion, on the site started in 1935 when the borough council purchased the location to build a 500-seat theatre and concert venue, with work starting four years later on construction but was suspended by the outbreak of World War II. After the war, the site was known as Southend's white elephant, with the site laying empty due to budget constraints, until 1963, when work was started on a building that could host shows, concerts and private functions. The building was designed by the borough architect Patrick Burridge, who also designed Southend Civic Centre and Westcliff Library. The 1,100 capacity theatre was opened by the actor, writer and director Sir Bernard Miles in July 1964, with the first show opening the next day starring Norman Vaughan and his troupe of dancers, the Swinging Lovelies. The hexagonal sunken forecourt that was at the front of the theatre (prior to the 2024/25 refurbishment) followed the line of the pre-war foundations. The theatre won a commendation at the Come to Britain awards held by the British Travel & Holiday Association in the same year. The Cliffs was the venue for the annual Southend-on-Sea Festival of Music and the Arts. In April 1974, extra seating that had been purchased for the summer season and stored in the underground car park under tarpaulin, cau