That’s it. Printworks is closing. Five year after opening, the venue will have to shut their doors and turn off the music. The site will instead become home to offices (finally! more office space in London!) and shops as part of a Canada Water-wide redevelopment.
Printworks quickly reached legendary status in London for the sheer enormity of their space (housed, as the name suggests, in a former printing factory) and their ever-impressive roster of events. More than just a London institution, though, Printworks became known internationally as one of the best nightclubs in the world. Despite a petition garnering over 11,000 signatories, Southwark Council granted permission for the area redevelopment.
Demolition of the site is supposedly slated for Autumn 2021. A report from council officers who recommended the redevelopment be given the green light mentioned that “[Printworks] was never intended to be a permanent use of the site.” While the venue’s existence may have always been temporal and in the balance, pending further development of the area, it is nonetheless a crushing blow to the UK’s music and clubbing scene.
There is a glimmer of hope for Printworks fans, however, as the team behind Printworks’s inaugural line-ups have reunited to set the programme for new venue The Beam‘s opening season. Broadwick Live and LWE have partnered up for 12 consecutive Saturdays of shows, running October 1 to December 17. Printworks may be closing, but the team behind the venue are still working hard to bring London incredible nights.
To keep up to date with what’s next for Printworks and the Printworks family, you can sign up for updates at their website.
