A NEWLY restored art deco theatre will hold its grand opening next weekend.

Crowds are expected to flock to Darlington’s Majestic Theatre on Saturday, June 4.

The historic venue’s grand opening event comes after a large-scale restoration project designed to put the former cinema back at the heart of the community.

Situated on Bondgate, The Majestic already features popular soft play facility Magic and Mayhem downstairs.

To complete the ambitious refurbishment, the upstairs has now been transformed to create a theatre and live music venue, complete with many original features.

The team behind the project hope to establish The Majestic as a venue accessible to small-scale productions, musicians and actors.

Next weekend’s opening event will see audiences invited to explore the building and enjoy entertainment including previews of upcoming shows including We Will Rock You, premiering at The Majestic on Monday, June 13.

Theatre manager Matt Campbell said: “Personally, I’m ecstatic and I’m really excited for the opening night.

“The whole thing is going to be mad and we expect a big turn out.”

Doors will open at 6.30pm with free tickets available from the venue or via themajestictheatre.nutickets.com.