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vauLt festivaL to be Left homeLess after waterLoo venue teLLs them to
By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk
vAUlT FeSTivAl is now homeless after its waterloo-based landlord prioritises ‘more commercial’ projects, despite hosting them for eleven years.
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Following its successful return for the first time since the pandemic, VAULT Festival, the UK’s leading festival of live performance, has been advised by its venue-landlord, The Vaults, that it must find a new home for future festivals.
VAULT Festival, run by not-forprofit charity VAULT Creative Arts, had repeatedly sought a long-term commitment from The Vaults, but the venue is instead looking at other more commercial projects, which now leaves VAULT Festival without a home for 2024 and beyond.
Having run in the then-derelict tunnels in Waterloo since 2012, VAULT Festival has brought over 3,000 shows to The Vaults, bringing in more than 400,000 audience members. On the festival website, they wrote: “The festival is recognised for being vitally important to the health and vibrance of the live performance landscape of the UK, has helped launch the careers of thousands of underrepresented artists, who otherwise may not have had access to creative opportunities, and has had a significant positive impact on local businesses. This decision is a significant threat to VAULT Festival’s survival and the wider creative industry.”
They are now getting attention from across the industry. In City A.M. Bridgerton’s leading actors have collectively condemned the news that the UK’s second-largest arts festival has lost its home.
Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, said losing the festival “would be a devastating loss for the theatre community.” While Jonathan Bailey, who plays lead Anthony Bridgerton, called the Vault Festival “a bloody good night out” that “needs to be protected at all costs.”
Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington, said people need to “make enough noise and attract funding and assistance from people who can afford it”
