#SaveOurVenues - Summerhall

Aim: We’re part of a national initiative launched by the Music Venue Trust to prevent the closure of 100s of independent music venues. Please support our campaign.

WE HAVE NOW REACHED AND SURPASSED OUR  £25K TARGET AND ANY FURTHER DONATIONS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE NATIONAL  #SAVEOURVENUES CAMPAIGN!

Summerhall is proud to be part of a national initiative launched by Music Venue Trust to prevent the closure of hundreds of independent music venues. 

UPDATE 12.15pm 05.05.20

Wow. Thank you!

When we announced our crowdfunder last Wednesday, we truly did not expect that we would receive this level of support. Less than a week since launching, your incredible generosity has smashed both our targets, raising over £25,000 to keep Summerhall alive after this pandemic has passed.

We are so, so grateful for your pledges, and for all the lovely comments and messages of support.

Until our crowdfunder ends on 12th May, any and all additional pledges over £25k will go to Music Venue Trust’s #SaveOurVenues campaign to support grassroots venues across the UK in the same situation as Summerhall.

Thank you. Stay safe, and we’ll see you all soon.

UPDATE 3.30pm 01.05.20

We are honestly gobsmacked by your incredible generosity. In just over 24 hours, your pledges smashed through our initial target of £15,000 and surpassed all our expectations. We truly did not anticipate such an incredible response so quickly. Thank you!

So with the support of the team behind the Music Venue Trust’s #SaveOurVenues campaign, we have decided to extend our target to £25,000. This will allow us to safeguard our future even more, but we want to be completely transparent with you, our funders, and explain what we plan to do with your money.  Please check the Updates section of this page for our full explanation! And thank you all again!   

UPDATE: 5pm 30.04.20

We have been absolutely blown away by the generosity you have all shown since we launched our Crowdfunder just over 24 hours ago. Whether you have pledged £1 or £100, we are deeply grateful for your support. Every single penny we raise will go directly towards helping us reopen our doors to the public as soon as it is safe to do so.

Your comments and messages of support have let us know that Summerhall really does mean something different to everyone. Whether you know Summerhall as a music venue, an art gallery, a Fringe venue, a rehearsal space, a wedding venue, a cinema, a cafe, a pub, or just that maze-like building at the corner of the Meadows, we have been overwhelmed by your support.

THANK YOU!

Why do we need your help?

As a privately owned Arts Venue with no public funding, Covid-19 has effectively reduced our year-round sources of income (Gigs, Fringe, Private Events, Bars and Cafe) to zero. 

On March 19th, we closed Summerhall to the public, only remaining open to our residents.  Since then, our entire music & performance programme for the next 4 months has been cancelled or postponed, our exhibition spaces have been shut, and the Summerhall Cafe & Royal Dick Pub have been closed. This has meant that our income streams have all but ceased. 

In addition, we now know that Summerhall will not be able to present its usual Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme in August 2020. The Fringe contributes a significant portion of our income each year and provides the means for us to support independent artist development, and programme the range of interesting and exciting year-round events for which Summerhall is known and loved.

Without your support, there is a very real possibility that Summerhall will no longer be able to present its year-round programme of live music, performance and exhibitions.

How can you help save Summerhall?

Any amount you can spare, the cost of a gig ticket or a pint in The Royal Dick, will go directly towards keeping the venue alive until we can reopen.

Summerhall is a large, complex building with considerable fixed costs which remain the same whether we are open or closed.  Your donations will be used to keep the building running, the lights on  and  pay the salaries of the non-furloughed staff and security team while we have no income. So that once we reopen, we can get back to the business of showcasing a brilliant programme of music, performance, art and events in the second half of the 2020 and beyond! 

If we hit our target, and we can prevent the closure of our programme,  everything above the amount we need will be donated to the Music Venue Trust GMV Crisis Fund to protect other venues just like ours, right across the country.

More information about Summerhall

Summerhall is a large, complex building with considerable fixed costs which remain the same whether we are open or closed.  And as well as being a Arts Venue, the Summerhall building is also home to a community of over 100 resident artists, charities and independent businesses. So while the building is not at risk of closure and we fully intend to reopen the doors to our pub and café as soon as safe to do so, our ability to present a year round programme of events, performance and exhibitions is in jeopardy while we remain closed!

#SummerhallAdapts                                                        

Photo Credits: Cat Thomson and Peter Dibdin