Vicar Street
Vicar Street is a Dublin-based live music and comedy venue operating since 1998 with 1,050 seated / 1,500 standing capacity, hosting concerts, comedy shows, and private hire events for Irish and international artists and event organizers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Vicar Street does
Vicar Street is a live entertainment venue located at 58-59 Thomas Street in Dublin 8, Ireland, operating continuously since 1998 with a capacity of 1,050 seated or 1,500 standing depending on configuration. The venue's core offering is event hosting — concerts, comedy performances, and private hire events — featuring a mix of Irish and international artists booked through a roster of independent promoters including Aiken Promotions (which also operates the venue), Singular Artists, Joe Gallagher Entertainment, Foggy Notions, and Beyond the Pale. The business model rests on three revenue streams: a share of ticket sales (priced and marketed by individual promoters and processed via Ticketmaster), private venue hire for corporate functions and fashion shows, and on-site bar and hospitality revenue generated during events. The underlying technology footprint is minimal and largely physical — stage infrastructure, bar facilities, and a standard Ticketmaster ticketing integration — with no proprietary software, API, or AI components disclosed. The venue is privately held and operated by Aiken Promotions, a Dublin-based concert promotion company headquartered at 55 Lad Lane, Dublin. The venue employs approximately 13 people, operates from a single Dublin location, and has no disclosed expansion plans, funding history, or institutional investment structures. Related brand Vicar Street Books (vicarstreetbooks.com) operates as an affiliate retail extension under the same umbrella.
Vicar Street firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vicar Street
- Legal name
- Vicar Street (operated by Aiken Promotions)
- Website
- https://vicarstreet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Vicar Street is a Dublin-based live music and comedy venue operating since 1998 with 1,050 seated / 1,500 standing capacity, hosting concerts, comedy shows, and private hire events for Irish and international artists and event organizers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Vicar Street industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Entertainment Venue
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Event Operations & Venue Services (Box Office, FOH/BOH, Concessions) (MPAIAFAL), Venue Food, Beverage & Hospitality Operations (Concessions, Catering, Premium Seating) (MPAGALAN)
Keywords
Where Vicar Street is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vicar Street business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales Commission: Revenue generated from ticket sales for concerts, comedy shows, and special events. Tickets sold through Ticketmaster.
- Private Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring out the venue for private events including fashion shows and corporate functions.
- Bar and Hospitality Services: On-site bar facilities generating revenue from food and beverage sales during events. Bars open from 6:30pm.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | General Admission Standing |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Seated Tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Vicar Street product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vicar Street operates a Dublin-based live entertainment venue at 58-59 Thomas Street, hosting live music concerts, comedy performances, and offering the space for private hire events. The venue has a seated capacity of 1,050 and a standing capacity of 1,500, supported by on-site bar facilities and event management services.
Product overview
Vicar Street is Dublin's premier live music and entertainment venue. The venue operates as a single unified offering, hosting live music concerts, comedy shows, and private hire events. It features a seated capacity of 1050 and standing capacity of 1500, opened in 1998 and extended in 2002. The venue provides bar facilities and event management services as ancillary offerings to its core entertainment programming.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Music Events Live music concerts featuring international and Irish artists across rock, folk, electronic, traditional Irish, jazz, and bluegrass genres, scheduled throughout the year.
- Comedy Shows Stand-up comedy performances and comedy acts including family shows and theatrical tributes, featuring both international and Irish comedians.
- Private Hire Venue hire for private events including corporate functions, fashion shows, and private parties, with on-site event management and bar facilities included.
- Bar Facilities Full on-site bar serving food and beverages during events and private hire bookings, available to event attendees and private hire clients.
Companies that use Vicar Street
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vicar Street technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vicar Street partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Aiken PromotionscorePrimary venue operator and promoter managing event bookings, venue operations, and show programming at Vicar Street. Located at 55 Lad Lane, Dublin, D02 E6N3.
- TicketmastercorePrimary ticketing partner for all Vicar Street events, handling online ticket sales and distribution
- Singular ArtistsmajorConcert promoter presenting shows at Vicar Street including Declan O'Rourke, Josh Okeefe, The Dead South, Editors, Panchiko, The Witcher, and other artists
- Joe Gallagher EntertainmentmajorPromoter presenting David Essex and The High Kings shows at Vicar Street
- Foggy NotionsmajorPromoter presenting The Mountain Goats and Autechre shows at Vicar Street
- Beyond the PalemajorFestival promoter producing Club CuCú events including 2manydjs show at Vicar Street
- CUPRA PULSEminorAutomotive brand's electronic music platform partnering with Beyond the Pale for city-center shows
- Vicar Street BooksminorRelated retail business operating alongside the venue (vicarstreetbooks.com)
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Vicar Street competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Barbican Centre: Large-scale London performing arts center hosting music, comedy, and theater across multiple venues. Comparable as a major-city anchor cultural venue with broader programmatic scope than Vicar Street's single-stage operation.
- Academy Music Group: UK-based operator of mid-size music venues (O2 Academy venues). Operates a portfolio model analogous to what Vicar Street represents within Aiken Promotions, but at a much larger multi-site scale.
- Live Nation Venues (UK/Ireland portfolio): Global live entertainment operator running mid- and large-size venues. Comparable as a competitor promoter-operator that books and operates venues at a multi-site scale well beyond Vicar Street's single-asset footprint.
Others
- MCD Productions: One of Ireland's largest concert promoters and operator of 3Arena. Direct functional parallel to Aiken Promotions (Vicar Street's parent) and the most relevant promoter peer in the Irish market.
Direct peers
- Union Chapel London: Heritage London live music and comedy venue with a comparable capacity tier and similar mix of contemporary music, comedy, and touring artists. Direct functional analogue at a similar scale in another major European city.
- Whelan's: Smaller Dublin live music venue (~450 capacity) frequently used as an artist step-up venue before acts move to Vicar Street. Comparable as part of the same Dublin live music ecosystem with overlapping artist rosters.
- 3Arena: Dublin's largest indoor music venue (~13,000 capacity), operated by a different promoter (Live Nation/MCD). It competes with Vicar Street for the same touring artist pool at a larger scale and serves as the upper-bound benchmark in the Dublin live venue hierarchy.
- National Stadium: Dublin venue hosting boxing, concerts, and live events. Comparable as a mid-size Dublin entertainment space competing for live programming calendar slots.
- Olympia Theatre: Dublin's other landmark mid-size music and comedy venue, historically the closest direct competitor to Vicar Street for touring acts and comparable programming mix at a similar capacity tier.
- Gaiety Theatre: Dublin's historic theater and live performance venue hosting music, comedy, and theatrical programming. Comparable in scale and use case as a Dublin city-center live entertainment space.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Vicar Street social profiles
Digital presenceVicar Street financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vicar Street leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Vicar Street funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vicar Street M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vicar Street
What does Vicar Street do?
Vicar Street operates a Dublin-based live entertainment venue at 58-59 Thomas Street, hosting live music concerts, comedy performances, and offering the space for private hire events. The venue has a seated capacity of 1,050 and a standing capacity of 1,500, supported by on-site bar facilities and event management services.
Is Vicar Street a public or private company?
Vicar Street is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Vicar Street founded?
Vicar Street was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Vicar Street based?
Vicar Street is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Vicar Street make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales Commission is the primary driver. The others are private Venue Hire and bar and Hospitality Services.
Who are Vicar Street's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Barbican Centre, Academy Music Group and Live Nation Venues (UK/Ireland portfolio). MCD Productions is listed as an others. Direct peers are Union Chapel London, Whelan's, 3Arena, National Stadium, Olympia Theatre and Gaiety Theatre.
Does Vicar Street have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vicar Street.
What industry is Vicar Street in?
Vicar Street's product category is Live Entertainment Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGALAC, Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues), with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.