KOKO in Camden Town is one of London’s best-known mid-sized music venues, and if you’re trying to work out whether it fits your show, club night, or private event, the capacity numbers matter more than the venue’s famous history does. KOKO holds up to 1,500 people standing, though the exact figure shifts depending on whether there’s a live act on stage or the room is set up for a club night, seated dinner, or private hire.
This guide breaks down every capacity configuration KOKO uses today, explains how that compares with other London venues, and covers the practical details — location, history, the 2020 fire, and how to plan a visit — so you have everything you need in one place.
Quick Answer
KOKO’s official capacity is up to 1,410 people standing when there’s a live band or artist performing on a stage, and up to 1,500 standing for receptions, club nights, and other events without a stage show. That capacity is spread across the ground-floor stalls and the tiered balcony levels that wrap around the historic auditorium.
KOKO Capacity Breakdown by Layout
KOKO’s capacity isn’t a single number — it changes depending on how the room is configured for a given event, based on figures published by the venue itself. For a standard gig with a stage show, KOKO holds up to 1,410 people standing across the stalls and balcony tiers. For receptions, club nights, and other standing events that don’t need staging for a live performer, capacity rises to 1,500.
Seated configurations are considerably smaller: theatre-style seating holds around 250 guests, a gala dinner with round tables holds about 180, and a formal dinner on long trestle tables holds roughly 148. Beyond the main hall, KOKO’s post-2022 rebuild added smaller bookable spaces with their own separate capacities, including a roof terrace that holds around 150 people standing and an intimate space known as the Secret Club, which holds around 80. These smaller spaces are hired separately from the main room and don’t add to KOKO’s headline 1,500 figure.
Is KOKO a Club or a Live Music Venue?
KOKO is both. It operates as a live concert venue for touring artists and album launch shows, and as a club venue running its own club nights and electronic music programming, including its recurring KOKO Electronic series. The building’s standing capacity of up to 1,500 applies to both uses — what changes is the setup: gig nights use the stage and a listening-focused floor plan, while club nights turn the same room over to DJs, late licensing, and a dancefloor-first layout.
KOKO also runs a smaller late-night space, the Secret Club, for a more intimate club experience separate from the main hall. So if you’re searching for KOKO as a club, you’re not looking for a different venue — it’s the same historic building operating under a different format on a given night.
How KOKO’s Capacity Compares to Other London Venues
At up to 1,500 capacity, KOKO sits well above Camden’s smaller club-sized rooms, many of which hold only a few hundred people, but below London’s largest theatre and arena-scale venues, some of which hold several thousand. That mid-size footprint is a big part of why KOKO has long been a favored spot for album launch shows and secret gigs by major artists who want an intimate room with a big-venue atmosphere rather than a huge arena crowd.
It’s also worth noting KOKO’s capacity has shrunk over its history: when the building first opened in 1900 as the Camden Theatre, it was licensed for well over 2,000 seated patrons, a reminder of how much denser Edwardian theatre seating was compared with a modern standing gig crowd, where each person needs more room to move.
About KOKO London: Location & Getting There
KOKO is located at 1a Camden High Street, London NW1 7RE, directly opposite Mornington Crescent station on the Northern line. Camden Town station is about a 10-minute walk away, and Euston and King’s Cross St Pancras are both roughly 15 minutes on foot, making KOKO one of the easier major venues in London to reach without a car. The venue sits at the northern edge of Camden Town’s market and nightlife district, in the Grade II listed building that has anchored that stretch of Camden High Street since 1900.
From Edwardian Theatre to Music Landmark
Before it became a byword for London’s live music scene, the building spent decades as the Camden Theatre, designed by architect W.G.R. Sprague and opened on Boxing Day 1900. It later operated as the Camden Hippodrome, a cinema, and a BBC recording studio used for radio broadcasts including The Goon Show. It found a second life as a nightclub and gig venue in the late 1970s as The Music Machine, then as Camden Palace through the 1980s and 90s, hosting early performances from punk and new wave acts alongside a run of major touring artists.
The venue was renamed KOKO after a multimillion-pound restoration completed in 2004, which restored much of its ornate Edwardian interior, including the tiered balconies and domed ceiling, while keeping it functioning as a working concert hall.
The 2020 Fire and 2022 Rebuild
On the evening of 6 January 2020, a large fire broke out at KOKO during roof renovation work, drawing around 60 firefighters and eight fire engines to Camden High Street. The blaze significantly damaged the building’s roof and dome and forced an extended closure. Owner Mint Entertainment used the closure to carry out a larger renovation, adding new performance and event spaces around the historic auditorium.
KOKO reopened in April 2022, with Arcade Fire performing the venue’s first show back in support of their album We — and the venue’s headline standing capacity of up to 1,500 was preserved through the rebuild.
Planning Your Visit to KOKO
Ticket pricing at KOKO depends entirely on the artist and event: gig tickets are sold through the promoter or KOKO’s own site, while club nights and members’ events often use separate booking pages. Doors and stage times vary by show and are typically published alongside each event listing rather than following a fixed daily schedule.
For the most current capacity figures by room, ticket links, door times, age restrictions, and bag policy for a specific event, check the official KOKO website, which lists up-to-date details for every upcoming show and club night.
KOKO Camden capacity FAQs
What is KOKO Camden’s capacity?
KOKO is licensed for up to 1,410 people standing when there’s a live band or artist on stage, rising to up to 1,500 standing for club nights, receptions, and other events without a stage show.
What is KOKO’s seated capacity?
For seated events, KOKO holds around 250 guests in theatre-style seating, about 180 for a gala dinner with round tables, and roughly 148 for a formal dinner on long trestle tables.
Is KOKO a club or a concert venue?
Both. KOKO hosts touring artists and album launch gigs as a concert venue, and runs its own club nights and electronic music programming, including the Secret Club, as a club venue — all within the same 1,500-capacity building.
Is KOKO Camden bigger than a normal club?
Yes. At up to 1,500 capacity, KOKO is significantly larger than most Camden club venues, which typically hold a few hundred people, but it’s smaller than London’s arena-scale venues.
Where is KOKO in London?
KOKO is at 1a Camden High Street, London NW1 7RE, directly opposite Mornington Crescent tube station on the Northern line, about a 10-minute walk from Camden Town station.
Did KOKO close after the 2020 fire?
Yes. A fire on 6 January 2020 damaged the roof during renovation work, closing the venue for an extended rebuild. KOKO reopened in April 2022 with Arcade Fire headlining its comeback show.
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