diff --git a/mopidy/http/actor.py b/mopidy/http/actor.py
index f705c707..dc154538 100644
--- a/mopidy/http/actor.py
+++ b/mopidy/http/actor.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ import threading
 
 import pykka
 
+import tornado.httpserver
 import tornado.ioloop
+import tornado.netutil
 import tornado.web
 import tornado.websocket
 
@@ -26,28 +28,32 @@ class HttpFrontend(pykka.ThreadingActor, CoreListener):
 
     def __init__(self, config, core):
         super(HttpFrontend, self).__init__()
-        self.config = config
-        self.core = core
 
-        self.hostname = config['http']['hostname']
+        self.hostname = network.format_hostname(config['http']['hostname'])
         self.port = config['http']['port']
-
-        self.zeroconf_name = config['http']['zeroconf']
-        self.zeroconf_http = None
-        self.zeroconf_mopidy_http = None
+        tornado_hostname = config['http']['hostname']
+        if tornado_hostname == '::':
+            tornado_hostname = None
 
         try:
             logger.debug('Starting HTTP server')
-            self.app = tornado.web.Application(self._get_request_handlers())
-            self.app.listen(
-                self.port, self.hostname if self.hostname != '::' else None)
+            sockets = tornado.netutil.bind_sockets(self.port, tornado_hostname)
+            self.server = HttpServer(
+                config=config, core=core, sockets=sockets,
+                apps=self.apps, statics=self.statics)
         except IOError as error:
             raise exceptions.FrontendError(
                 'HTTP server startup failed: %s' %
                 encoding.locale_decode(error))
 
+        self.zeroconf_name = config['http']['zeroconf']
+        self.zeroconf_http = None
+        self.zeroconf_mopidy_http = None
+
     def on_start(self):
-        threading.Thread(target=self._startup).start()
+        logger.info(
+            'HTTP server running at [%s]:%s', self.hostname, self.port)
+        self.server.start()
 
         if self.zeroconf_name:
             self.zeroconf_http = zeroconf.Zeroconf(
@@ -65,18 +71,7 @@ class HttpFrontend(pykka.ThreadingActor, CoreListener):
         if self.zeroconf_mopidy_http:
             self.zeroconf_mopidy_http.unpublish()
 
-        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().add_callback(self._shutdown)
-
-    def _startup(self):
-        logger.info(
-            'HTTP server running at [%s]:%s',
-            network.format_hostname(self.hostname), self.port)
-        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().start()
-
-    def _shutdown(self):
-        logger.debug('Stopping HTTP server')
-        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().stop()
-        logger.debug('Stopped HTTP server')
+        self.server.stop()
 
     def on_event(self, name, **data):
         event = data
@@ -84,6 +79,36 @@ class HttpFrontend(pykka.ThreadingActor, CoreListener):
         message = json.dumps(event, cls=models.ModelJSONEncoder)
         handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast(message)
 
+
+class HttpServer(threading.Thread):
+    name = 'HttpServer'
+
+    def __init__(self, config, core, sockets, apps, statics):
+        super(HttpServer, self).__init__()
+
+        self.config = config
+        self.core = core
+        self.sockets = sockets
+        self.apps = apps
+        self.statics = statics
+
+        self.app = None
+        self.server = None
+
+    def run(self):
+        self.app = tornado.web.Application(self._get_request_handlers())
+        self.server = tornado.httpserver.HTTPServer(self.app)
+        self.server.add_sockets(self.sockets)
+
+        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().start()
+
+        logger.debug('Stopped HTTP server')
+
+    def stop(self):
+        logger.debug('Stopping HTTP server')
+        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().add_callback(
+            tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().stop)
+
     def _get_request_handlers(self):
         request_handlers = []
         request_handlers.extend(self._get_app_request_handlers())
diff --git a/tests/http/test_server.py b/tests/http/test_server.py
index cc20efe0..b3cfa92c 100644
--- a/tests/http/test_server.py
+++ b/tests/http/test_server.py
@@ -27,16 +27,19 @@ class HttpServerTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
         core.get_version = mock.MagicMock(name='get_version')
         core.get_version.return_value = mopidy.__version__
 
-        apps = [dict(name='testapp')]
-        statics = [dict(name='teststatic')]
+        testapps = [dict(name='testapp')]
+        teststatics = [dict(name='teststatic')]
 
-        http_frontend = actor.HttpFrontend(config=self.get_config(), core=core)
-        http_frontend.apps = [{
+        apps = [{
             'name': 'mopidy',
-            'factory': handlers.make_mopidy_app_factory(apps, statics),
+            'factory': handlers.make_mopidy_app_factory(testapps, teststatics),
         }]
 
-        return tornado.web.Application(http_frontend._get_request_handlers())
+        http_server = actor.HttpServer(
+            config=self.get_config(), core=core, sockets=[],
+            apps=apps, statics=[])
+
+        return tornado.web.Application(http_server._get_request_handlers())
 
 
 class RootRedirectTest(HttpServerTest):
@@ -172,12 +175,12 @@ class HttpServerWithStaticFilesTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
         }
         core = mock.Mock()
 
-        http_frontend = actor.HttpFrontend(config=config, core=core)
-        http_frontend.statics = [
-            dict(name='static', path=os.path.dirname(__file__)),
-        ]
+        statics = [dict(name='static', path=os.path.dirname(__file__))]
 
-        return tornado.web.Application(http_frontend._get_request_handlers())
+        http_server = actor.HttpServer(
+            config=config, core=core, sockets=[], apps=[], statics=statics)
+
+        return tornado.web.Application(http_server._get_request_handlers())
 
     def test_without_slash_should_redirect(self):
         response = self.fetch('/static', method='GET', follow_redirects=False)
@@ -222,13 +225,15 @@ class HttpServerWithWsgiAppTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
         }
         core = mock.Mock()
 
-        http_frontend = actor.HttpFrontend(config=config, core=core)
-        http_frontend.apps = [{
+        apps = [{
             'name': 'wsgi',
             'factory': wsgi_app_factory,
         }]
 
-        return tornado.web.Application(http_frontend._get_request_handlers())
+        http_server = actor.HttpServer(
+            config=config, core=core, sockets=[], apps=apps, statics=[])
+
+        return tornado.web.Application(http_server._get_request_handlers())
 
     def test_without_slash_should_redirect(self):
         response = self.fetch('/wsgi', method='GET', follow_redirects=False)