Friday 26 October 1962 | Live performance | Public Hall, Lune Street, Preston
The Beatles made their first appearance in Preston on 26 October 1962, playing the Public Hall on Lune Street. They were not the headliners: Mike Berry and the Outlaws headed a bill that also included the Beatles and the Syd Munson Orchestra.
Promoted by Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club, the event cost six shillings to attend and ran from 8pm until 2am the following morning. Those hours describe the overall event, not the length of the Beatles’ own performance.
It was a date that joined local club work, regional travel and radio exposure. Earlier that day the group had played a Cavern lunchtime session in Liverpool; that afternoon, a separately recorded BBC appearance was broadcast.
The Preston Public Hall appearance: essential facts
| Date | Friday 26 October 1962 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Public Hall |
| Street | Lune Street, Preston, Lancashire |
| Promoter | Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club |
| Headline act | Mike Berry and the Outlaws |
| Other acts | The Beatles; Syd Munson Orchestra |
| Ticket price | Six shillings |
| Overall event hours | 8pm–2am, ending on 27 October |
| Beatles line-up | John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr |
| Place in their Preston history | First of two documented Beatles appearances in the town |
| Return visit | 13 September 1963, again at the Public Hall |
Supporting Mike Berry and the Outlaws
The billing captures a stage of the Beatles’ career that can be obscured by their later fame. On this occasion they were a supporting attraction, with Mike Berry and the Outlaws at the top of the programme.
The presence of the Syd Munson Orchestra also matters. This was a mixed bill at a rugby club-promoted event, not a standalone Beatles concert with a modern arena-style running order.
Knowing the advertised acts does not establish precisely when each took the stage. The surviving dated account gives the event’s start and finish but does not supply a complete performance timetable or an exact Beatles set duration.
Six-shilling tickets and an event running past midnight
The six-shilling admission price belongs to Britain’s pre-decimal currency system. It is a historical ticket price, not a modern purchasing-power comparison.
The event began at 8pm on Friday and finished at 2am on Saturday. Its historical concert date remains 26 October 1962, the advertised starting date. The midnight crossover does not create a second separate Beatles booking.
Nor should the advertised hours be turned into a six-hour Beatles set. Multiple acts shared the programme, and no evidence here establishes the Beatles’ individual stage time.
From a Liverpool lunchtime show to Preston
Earlier on 26 October, the Beatles appeared at the Cavern Club. That performance is listed as their 143rd documented lunchtime show and 254th known Cavern appearance overall.
Read the separate 26 October 1962 Cavern lunchtime article for the Mathew Street booking. It was a different venue and event from the Preston engagement, despite sharing the calendar date.
The two appearances illustrate the regional character of the Beatles’ working life in this period: a familiar Liverpool club followed by another booking elsewhere in Lancashire. No precise travel route, vehicle or departure time is established by the dated account, so none is assigned here.
The same afternoon’s Here We Go broadcast
The BBC Light Programme broadcast the Beatles’ Here We Go appearance that afternoon, at approximately 5–5.30pm. The programme had been recorded at the Playhouse Theatre in Hulme, Manchester, on 25 October.
It was their first BBC radio session with Ringo Starr. “Love Me Do”, “A Taste of Honey” and “P.S. I Love You” were broadcast; “Sheila”, also performed at the recording, was omitted from the transmitted programme.
This was not a live relay from Preston, nor a recording made at the Cavern that lunchtime. Our Here We Go article explains the recording and broadcast dates.
Love Me Do: the right debut-single context
The Preston show took place in the month of the Beatles’ debut UK single, “Love Me Do” backed with “P.S. I Love You”. The band were still appearing on supporting bills while their record and radio work introduced them to a wider audience.
“From Me to You” belongs to 1963 and should not be described as the freshly released debut single at this October 1962 engagement. Keeping the releases in their proper sequence helps explain just how early this Preston visit was.
What can be said about the Preston setlist?
The dated concert account does not establish a complete running order. A crowd-sourced setlist page lists “Love Me Do” and “Please Please Me”, but it does not supply enough corroboration to present those two titles as a verified complete set.
Accordingly, this article does not manufacture a Preston programme from the BBC songs or the Beatles’ general early repertoire. A song’s presence elsewhere in their history does not prove it was performed at this particular engagement.
The Beatles’ two Preston appearances
The documented Preston sequence is short and clear:
- 26 October 1962: Public Hall, Lune Street, supporting Mike Berry and the Outlaws at the Preston Grasshoppers event.
- 13 September 1963: Public Hall, Lune Street, the group’s return to Preston.
These are two separate visits, not two performances on the first night. They also belong to the Public Hall, not the distinct Guild Hall venue associated with later concerts.
Location map: Lune Street, Preston
The historical venue was the Public Hall on Lune Street. This map provides street-level geographical context and does not claim to reconstruct the 1962 hall interior or stage.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Beatles first play in Preston?
Their first documented Preston appearance was on 26 October 1962 at the Public Hall on Lune Street.
Who headlined the event?
Mike Berry and the Outlaws headed the bill, with the Beatles and the Syd Munson Orchestra also appearing.
Who promoted the show?
Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Football Club promoted the event.
How much were the tickets?
Tickets cost six shillings in pre-decimal British currency.
Did the Beatles perform from 8pm until 2am?
Those were the overall event hours, not a verified Beatles set duration. Several acts shared the programme.
When did the Beatles return to Preston?
They returned to the Public Hall on 13 September 1963.
Continue exploring: Cavern lunchtime show, 26 October 1962 · Here We Go, recorded 25 October 1962 · On This Day in Beatles History.
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