Independent Venue Week Announces First Round of Participating Venues
A departure from last year's digitally-focused event, the 2021 edition is poised to return to where it belongs: inside America’s independently-only venues.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz May. 24, 2021
Independent Venue Week will return July 12 - 18, 2021 bringing together venues from all across the country for a series of shows and programming in celebration of the spirit of independence. With over 200 venues in 41 states and territories already signed up, Independent Venue Week 2021 continues its rapid growth from years prior, gearing up for its largest celebration yet. Venues and promoters interested in participating can still register to partake in the festivities that coincide with the growing hopes for the budding reopening of the country's music and entertainment venues. The venue-curated programming will be combined with the return of #IVWTalks, a virtual conference series that discusses current live music industry issues and includes Get Schooled, a full day dedicated to student participants interested in a career in live music to take place on Thursday, July 15.
A departure from last year's digitally-focused event, the 2021 edition of Independent Venue Week is poised to return to where it belongs: inside America's independently-owned venues. "Getting ready for this year's event feels particularly meaningful," says Cecilie Nielsen, Director of Special Projects at Marauder, the firm that runs Independent Venue Week in the US. "For the past 14 months, independent venues and promoters have collectively fought for their very survival and this feels like the turning point that we've all been working for. We were happy and proud to grow Independent Venue Week last year-to even have it, under the circumstances. This year, we hope and believe that fans will return with a renewed appreciation for these uniquely important spaces."
Independent Venue Week has stood shoulder to shoulder with its nation-wide community through the crisis; its early organizing efforts sparked the formation of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), with whom the event has officially partnered. "Independent Venue Week brought us together in good times and then connected us when we had to fight to Save Our Stages," said Audrey Fix Schaefer, board member and communications director of NIVA. "Without Independent Venue Week's years of bringing awareness to the contributions that independent venues provide in terms of creating a communal space for music, connecting people, art, and commerce, it's impossible to imagine how this industry could have survived."
#IVW21 PARTICIPATING VENUES (So Far!)
Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts (Decatur, Alabama)
Theatrikos (Flagstaff, Arizona)
Jeremy's Juke Joint (Lake Havasu City, Arizona)
The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre (Mesa, Arizona)
The Nile Theater (Mesa, Arizona)
Last Exit Live (Phoenix, Arizona)
The Rebel Lounge (Phoenix, Arizona)
Club Congress (Tucson, Arizona)
Groundworks Tucson (Tucson, Arizona)
The Wayfarer (Costa Mesa, California)
T-Bar Social Club (June Lake, California)
Marvyn's Magic Theater (La Quinta, California)
1720 (Los Angeles, California)
Globe Theatre (Los Angeles, California)
The Paramount LA (Los Angeles, California)
The Sardine (Los Angeles, California)
The Glass House Concert Hall (Pomona, California)
Crest Theatre Sacramento (Sacramento, California)
Harlow's (Sacramento, California)
Sacramento Comedy Spot (Sacramento, California)
Belly Up (San Diego, California)
The Casbah (San Diego, California)
Soda Bar (San Diego, California)
Spin Nightclub (San Diego, California)
Amado's (San Francisco, California)
Bimbo's 365 Club (San Francisco, California)
Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, California)
The Riptide (San Francisco, California)
Center Stage Theater (Santa Barbara, California)
Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, California)
Boulder Theater (Boulder, Colorado)
Fox Theatre (Boulder, Colorado)
The Black Sheep (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Monkey Barrel (Denver, Colorado)
Roxy on Broadway (Denver, Colorado)
Aggie Theatre (Fort Collins, Colorado)
Ridgway Chautauqua Society / The Sherbino & The Courtyard at 610 (Ridgway, Colorado)
Bijou Theatre (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
The Midpoint (Hartford, Connecticut)
Arden Concert Gild (Arden, Delaware)
9:30 Club (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
The Anthem (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
DC9 Nightclub (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Lincoln Theatre (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Pearl Street Warehouse (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Pie Shop (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
Songbyrd Music House (Washington DC, District of Columbia)
High Dive (Gainesville, Florida)
Murray Hill Theatre (Jacksonville, Florida)
North Beach Bandshell (Miami Beach, Florida)
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (Sarasota, Florida)
The Village Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)
The Blue Door (Brunswick, Georgia)
Grant's Lounge (Macon, Georgia)
Hargray Capitol Theatre (Macon, Georgia)
Hilo Palace Theater (Hilo, Hawaii)
Hawaii Theatre Center (Honolulu, Hawaii)
ProArts Playhouse Maui (Kihei, Hawaii)
Hey Nonny (Arlington Heights, Illinois)
Annoyance Theatre & Bar (Chicago, Illinois)
Beat Kitchen (Chicago, Illinois)
The Lincoln Lodge Theater (Chicago, Illinois)
The Promontory (Chicago, Illinois)
Reggies (Chicago, Illinois)
Subterranean (Chicago, Illinois)
The Wild Hare & Singing Armadillo Frog Sanctuary (Chicago, Illinois)
Winter's Jazz Club (Chicago, Illinois)
Egyptian Theatre (DeKalb, Illinois)
Skooter's Roadhouse (Shorewood, Illinois)
Buskirk-Chumley Theater/BCT Management, Inc. (Bloomington, Indiana)
Mojo's BoneYard (Evansville, Indiana)
Hi-Fi (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Hoyt Sherman Place (Des Moines, Iowa)
Wooly's (Des Moines, Iowa)
xBk (Des Moines, Iowa)
East Of Omaha (Griswold, Iowa)
The Englert Theatre (Iowa City, Iowa)
Hutchinson's HIstoric Fox Theatre (Hutchinson, Kansas)
Liberty Hall (Lawrence, Kansas)
Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts (Salina, Kansas)
The Warehouse at Mt Victor (Bowling Green, Kentucky)
Alhambra Theatre (Hopkinsville, Kentucky)
Headliners Music Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)
Old Forester's Paristown Hall (Louisville, Kentucky)
Renfro Valley Entertainment Center (Mount Vernon, Kentucky)
The Southgate House Revival (Newport, Kentucky)
Texas Club (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Carnaval Lounge (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Howlin Wolf (New Orleans, Louisiana)
The Grand (Ellsworth, Maine)
Regent Theatre (Arlington, Massachusetts)
Narrows Center for the Arts (Fall River, Massachusetts)
Atac: Downtown Arts + Music (Framingham, Massachusetts)
Soundcheck Studios (Pembroke, Massachusetts)
Electric Haze (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Pyramid Scheme (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Kalamazoo State Theatre (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
7th St Entry (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Fine Line (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
First Avenue (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
The Parkway Theater (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
TAK Music Venue Inc (Moorhead, Minnesota)
The Fitzgerald Theatre (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Palace Theatre (St. Paul, Minnesota)
Turf Club (St. Paul, Minnesota)
RecordBar (Kansas City, Missouri)
Uptown Theater (Kansas City, Missouri)
Kettlehouse Amphitheater (Bonner, Montana)
The Music Hall (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)
Crossroads (Garwood, New Jersey)
Hopewell Theater (Hopewell, New Jersey)
White Eagle Hall (Jersey City, New Jersey)
The Newton Theatre (Newton, New Jersey)
Township Theatre (Township of Washington, New Jersey)
Palace Theatre (Albany, New York)
Jalopy Theatre (Brooklyn, New York)
The Muse Brooklyn/ABCirque (Brooklyn, New York)
Nicewonder & Associates LLC dba Purgatory (Brooklyn, New York)
The Sultan Room (Brooklyn, New York)
Asbury Arts Center aka Babeville (Buffalo, New York)
Fort Hill Performing Arts Center (Canandaigua, New York)
ISSUE Project Room (New York, New York)
Lola (New York, New York)
6 On The Square (Oxford, New York)
The Capitol Theatre (Port Chester, New York)
My Father's Place (Roslyn, New York)
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy, New York)
Asheville Music Hall (Asheville, North Carolina)
Paddy's Irish Pub (Fayetteville, North Carolina)
Fargo Brewing Company (Fargo, North Dakota)
Fargo Theatre (Fargo, North Dakota)
Sanctuary Events Center (Fargo, North Dakota)
Jilly's Music Room (Akron, Ohio)
Mapleside Farms (Brunswick, Ohio)
Bop Stop (Cleveland, Ohio)
Beachland Ballroom & Tavern (Cleveland, Ohio)
Grog Shop (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
Woodlands Tavern / Woodlands Productions (Columbus, Ohio)
Stroede Center for the Arts/Defiance Community Cultural Council (Defiance, Ohio)
Marathon Center for the Performing Arts (Findlay, Ohio)
Ponyboy (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Tower Theatre (Bend, Oregon)
Les Schwab Amphitheater (Bend, Oregon)
Volcanic Theatre Pub (Bend, Oregon)
The Vault Theater (Hillsboro, Oregon)
Kickstand Comedy (Portland, Oregon)
Roseland Theater (Portland, Oregon)
Afrodaddy's Jazz (Portland, Oregon)
The Siren Theater (Portland, Oregon)
The Old Church Concert Hall (Portland, Oregon)
Ardmore Music Hall (Ardmore, Pennsylvania)
ArtsQuest (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
XL Live (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
Jamey's House of Music (Lansdowne, Pennsylvania)
Chris' Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Fire (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Helium Comedy Club (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Mann Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Underground Arts (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
World Cafe Live (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Hot Mass (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
3577 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Thunderbird Music Hall (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, Pennsylvania)
118 North (Wayne, Pennsylvania)
Comedy Connection (East Providence, Rhode Island)
Arts Center of Coastal Carolina (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
The Concourse (Knoxville, Tennessee)
The Down Home (Johnson City, Tennessee)
Levitt Shell (Memphis, Tennessee)
Cannery Ballroom (Nashville, Tennessee)
The End (Nashville, Tennessee)
Exit/In (Nashville, Tennessee)
The High Watt (Nashville, Tennessee)
Mercy Lounge (Nashville, Tennessee)
Flamingo Cantina (Austin, Texas)
Giddy Ups (Austin, Texas)
Hotel Vegas (Austin, Texas)
Speakeasy (Austin, Texas)
Deep Ellum Art Company (Dallas, Texas)
Granada Theater + Sundown at Granada (Dallas, Texas)
Three Links (Dallas, Texas)
Bass Performance Hall (Fort Worth, Texas)
Tulips FTW (Fort Worth, Texas)
The Secret Group (Houston, Texas)
Warehouse Live (Houston, Texas)
The Bugle Boy (La Grange, Texas)
The Marc (San Marcos, Texas)
Rattlesnake Ballroom (Walnut Springs, Texas)
Stone Church (Brattleboro, Vermont)
The Birchmere (Alexandria, Virginia)
The Canal Club (Richmond, Virginia)
The Spot on Kirk (Roanoke, Virginia)
Bright Box Theater (Winchester, Virginia)
Make.Shift Art Space (Bellingham, Washington)
Wild Buffalo House of Music (Bellingham, Washington)
The Crocodile (Seattle, Washington)
El Corazon (Seattle, Washington)
The High Dive (Seattle, Washington)
Nectar Lounge (Seattle, Washington)
Aurora Borealis (Shoreline, Washington)
Spokane Valley Summer Theatre (Spokane Valley, Washington)
Purple Fiddle (Thomas, West Virginia)
Gibson Community Music Hall (Appleton, Wisconsin)
X-Ray Arcade (Cudahy, Wisconsin)
Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)
Cavalier Theater (La Crosse, Wisconsin)
Warehouse (La Crosse, Wisconsin)
The Bur Oak (Madison, Wisconsin)
Weill Center for the Performing Arts (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
Grand Theater (Wausau, Wisconsin)
The Crystal Grand Music Theatre (Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin)
Independent Venue Week is a celebration of independently owned music venues that runs across the US from July 12 - 18, 2021. Independent Venue Week brings together venues, rising and established artists, promoters, labels, media, and tastemakers to create an international series of gigs.
Founded in the UK by Sybil Bell in 2014 to highlight these incredible spaces and featured in On The Road with Independent Venue Week, a documentary on the UK's independent music venues featuring Radiohead drummer Philip Selway, the event has grown globally since Marauder brought it to the United States in 2018.
Despite the unique circumstances surrounding it, Independent Venue Week 2020 continued a trend of US growth, with 143 venues from across 80 different cities partaking. Highlighting last year's event was an online charity auction hosted by Independent Venue Week where fans collectively raised over $21,000 towards the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund, providing much-needed assistance at the time to independent venues and promoters. Through their donations, several lucky fans were able to take home various pieces of music history, such as an ESP guitar signed by multiple members of Lamb of God, a pair of seats from the original Merriweather Pavilion, and the signed bass of Blue Öyster Cult's Al Bochard. In addition to the fundraiser auction, Independent Venue Week 2020 also marked the introduction of #IVWTalks, a virtual conference and keynote series that discusses current live music industry issues and notably featured Get Schooled, a full day dedicated to student participants interested in pursuing a career in live music. Following the glowing success of its inaugural run, #IVWTalks will return as part of #IVW21 and will again dedicate a whole day of its self-curated programming to Get Schooled.For more information, visit Independent Venue Week's website.
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