in addition to variety shows and music concerts. Current capacity is 2,813. Empress Ballroom The Empress Ballroom was built in 1896. With a floor area of 12,500 square feet (1,160 sq. metres), the ballroom was one of the largest in the world. It was requisitioned by the Admiralty in 1918 for military use during World War I, before being handed back a year later. The ballroom hosted the first Blackpool Dance Festival in 1920. It was re-floored in 1934 In the late 1970s, some of the floor space was adapted for other purposes to reduce the venue's over-capacity. It was renamed The Stardust Garden and was intended to function as a nightclub. The ballroom has been used as a conference venue for many years by the Labour Party Conference, Conservative Party Conference and Liberal Democrat Conference, although they have increasingly used modern, purpose-built conference centres in the 21st century. The ballroom hosts the World Matchplay darts tournament, the Blackpool Dance Festival and the Inter Varsity Dance Competition. Acts such as Pet Shop Boys, The Beatles, Queen, Oasis, Radiohead, Slash and The White Stripes have performed in the ballroom. The White Stripes perform at The Empress Ballroom in their DVD and concert Under Blackpool Lights. It also housed a 3/14 Wurlitzer organ, much of the pipework coming from the original Blackpool Tower organ. It was played for many years by Horace Finch but was removed in 1969, eventually being broken up. A new Wurlitzer organ has more recently been installed in the Empress Ballroom by Cannock Chase Organ Club. The original console has survived and will hopefully be used in the future. Pavilion Theatre The Pavilion dates back to the original 1878 build, when it was built as a promenade pavilion. In 1885 a new proscenium and private boxes were added. It was then converted to a theatre in 1889. It was extensively altered in 1897 when the floor was lowered and tilted towards the stage. In the 1930s it was also used as a cinema showing talkies. After the cinema ceased operation, the Pavilion was used for Concerts & Shows until its refurbishment in the 1990s, when it was gutted leaving just the stage area intact, the back stage area is now a Restaurant and the seating area has been taken into the Horseshoe as an Exhibition space. The Pavilion theatre today has a capacity of 600. It is situated