Berkeley Finnish Hall

I really appreciate this venue for allowing us to use their space to perform. Our director needed a theater venue that was local and affordable. Thankfully, he was able to secure this location. We rehearsed here once a week. When the upstairs stage was in use, we were still able to practice in the space downstairs. Finnish Hall has character and a deep history. It is uniquely built. There are four bathrooms and a kitchen space. There is a very small parking lot and street parking. If you get hungry, it is conveniently located across the street from a Mexican restaurant and a sushi restaurant. There's also a burger joint one block away (Foster Freeze).Check out some of the pictures from the play. We performed 5 shows in one weekend!

Came here to support a Zumbathon fundraiser and the place was just perfect for the event with a nice stage for the performers and perfect dance floor for the dancers. Bathrooms were A-ok a bit old and the sink is outside from the toilets.

Such a good place for dance, at least a form of dance I do called contact improvisation. A teacher of the form called it a cross between wrestling and modern dance. This is an apt description. On Thursday nights there's a weekly jam - that's what it's called, a jam, sorry no peanut butter - and then once a month there's something called Underscore. It's an unusual form, so I would recommend classes before attending a jam. There's a class before the Thursday jam, so that's a good place to start if you wanted to find out more about contact improvisation.

A great place to host events with stage, sound, full kitchen, etc., also home to many Finnish historical and cultural events.Regularly Occurring Finnish Heritage Events include: - 1st SUN in DEC - "Finnish Independence Day" - 2nd SUN in DEC - "Children's Christmas Party" -2nd TUES in DEC - "Annual UFKB&S Lodge 21 Member's Christmas Meeting" with Finnish Christmas Carols and Foods -3rd SUN in JAN - Annual UFKB&S Lodge 21 Member's "Installation Dinner" - 1st SUN in MAY - Annual "Vappuira" ("May Day") Celebration with live music and dancing Go to their website for current rental rates, info on how to join the Berkeley Finnish Lodge, etc., http://finnishhall.com. OR, like" or "check-in" on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Finnish-Brotherhood-Hall/105975952778020?ref=ts&fref=ts.

We originally were going to hold my son's memorial at his favorite park. With rain predicted (and came true) I scrambled to find an affordable, nice local hall to rent. I stumbled across Finnish Hall and Andy was such a help. We held the event in the Auditorium which is a beautiful room. Lovely wood floor and seating along the walls. This allowed our small family group to spread out and catch up without conversation lapping over. The restrooms each have a little lounge area if needed for privacy. This was a heatbreaking occasion, but I will keep this hall in mind for more joyful events to come.

A friend of my grandmothers owns this hall/house. Because they are close we have had the privilege to have many family gatherings and parties here for my family and I. The hall itself is a historic building and as you can imagine very old but kept in the best shape as possible. There is a large kitchen, small dining room are, large dance room like area, and bathroom. There is also a second floor to this building which I assume is the house portion of it? (Never been up there). Overall it is a good size for a small-medium sized party. The owners are very nice and generous people. The parking here can get kind of tricky since it is in Berkeley and the hall is a residential area and sometimes it is hard to find parking but parking can be found. I am not sure what the rates would be to rent this place out but I am sure it would be reasonable.

We've been circle dancing in this hall every Friday for about seventeen years, and it's a great resource for the likes of us . . . despite having rather dreadful acoustics. Dr. Science says: clap your hands in the center of the main hall, and see how many echoes you can count. At least six or seven. But it's clean, and affordable, and we enjoy it (except for the 2 or 3 times a year that those lively Finns have a very loud and raucous party downstairs). Fascinating thing is the fact that there is an almost identical Finnish Hall about 6 blocks away on 10th Street. The story we were told is that long ago, the left wing Finns and the right wing Finns had a falling out (something to do with the Russian revolution), and the right wingers marched up University Ave. and built their own hall.

hah, i knew i'd be the first to review this place! despite its excellent name and its clearly noble intentions, the finnish brotherhood hall is really not that exciting a place, i am sad to say (though i will be giving it 5 stars regardless, just for being finnish). very few finns, not that much brotherhood. the only time it's of any use to us finns is during our national elections, when we can vote there. normally, some karate club runs classes there, and some whacky guy called Doug travelling in a gypsy wagon organises "men only" singing and chanting sessions there every couple of weeks. only in berkeley.

The Finnish Hall is wonderful---a Berkeley gem: a friendly, hospitable staff, lots of room and a beautiful, period-style auditorium that is perfect for a dance, a large-scale meeting, a reception, or a performance. It has a raised stage (great for a band) and beautiful, hard-wood benches that run the entire length of the room on both sides. Can easily accommodate a sophisticated sound system if you need amplification.

Surprised not to see more reviews.We just had our daughters birthday in the main auditorium room today. My synagogue used to meet here during our rebuilding. So I'm pretty familar with this area of the building. It is really nice. It has lots of character. The tables and chairs are old and funky but the room has a really nice vibe. Art deco touches. Wood floor. The acoustics are awful so not for something that requires that. We looked at a huge radius of community centers in Berkeley (the worst!), Albany, El Cerrito and Oakland. Most places wanted a minimum of $60/hr up, had a minimum number of hours, needed insurance policies etc etc. It was really looking bleak. But then I checked out good old Finnish Hall. Way cheaper than the rest. And really easy to make a request. The staff was very accomodating and flexible with me. I will most definitely be back. Just don't make the same mistake I did to think you can set up a child's birthday party on your own in a half-hour. Needless to say they were really nice about it when I ran over time. But I'll make sure to plan better the next time.