Description

Caxton Street is a street in the Brisbane suburb of Petrie Terrace.Named after merchant, writer and printer William Caxton, the thoroughfare developed considerably alongside the subdivision of land in the 1860s. The ensuing decades saw the construction of The Caxton Hotel (1864), the Baroona Oddfellows hall (1883), the Prince Alfred Hotel (1887) and the installation of an electric tramline in 1897. The Ithaca Baths were constructed around 1905. In order to ease congestion, the street was grade-separated at its intersection with Hale Street in the 1960s.Since the 1980s, Caxton Street has established itself as a thriving nightlife precinct, with an array of nightclubs, restaurants and live entertainment venues. The Caxton Street Seafood and Wine Festival has been held in the street annually since 1994. Caxton Street is also famous for the 'running of the buses', an annual event during the Australian Rugby League's State of Origin series, at which thousands of fans flock to the street in order to cheer their team's bus and boo their respective opposition as they proceed to Lang Park.During the 2014 G-20 Brisbane summit, Burmese president Thein Sein and German chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as delegates of the United Nations, stayed at Gambaro's Hotel, located on the street. During this time a strong police presence was present on Caxton street, along with a high protective steel and perspex barrier outside the hotel.