Victoria’s iconic Hermann's Jazz Club will be closing down.
The Arts on View Society issued an email statement to their mail list Thursday announcing the closure of both Hermann’s and View Street Social and also the Arts on View Society itself.
The final day of operations is set for Thursday April 30, 2026.
“Over the past 18 months, we have worked hard to stabilize the organization, improve operations, and explore every reasonable path forward,” the statement explained. “While we made meaningful progress, the financial challenges we inherited from previous leadership proved too significant to overcome in a sustainable way.”
A news release sent to media expanded on that saying that historical financial obligations including a significant outstanding GST liability and structural issues created by the previous leadership resulted in a deficit that could not be sustainably resolved.
The Victoria Times Colonist reports that the society is “in a financial hole of about $300,000, plus an estimated $150,000 needed in maintenance.
The statement goes on to say that there will be a structured wind-down of operations and that the remaining scheduled shows will be contacted directly.
Victoria City Councillor Matt Dell posted on his Facebook page his disappointment about the news, but noted, “This space will remain a city-owned space for music. The city will be looking for new operators to keep the space and music alive. While there may be some change, live music is not leaving in the long term!”
The closure announcement does not affect The Coda that operates on the floor above Hermann’s and View Street Social. That venue is run by Christine Morrison and Al Smith. Smith is the current board chair of the Arts on View Society.
“From the day I was asked to join the board, I worked tirelessly to stabilize and move the organization forward from a very complex and challenging situation,” said Smith in the news release. “I’m deeply proud of the work that was done, but also deeply saddened that it wasn’t enough to secure a sustainable future.”
The Arts on View Society took over operation of Hermann’s and View Street Social in May of 2019 after signing a five year agreement with former owners Stephan and Edward Nieweler, the sons of the venue’s late founder Hermann Nieweler. Prior to the 2019 agreement, control of the jazz club was part of a dispute over Nieweler’s estate between the two brothers and their sister Ingrid Reid. Arts on View also took on the task opening Hermann’s Upstairs.
In March 2024, Arts on View Society announced the closure of Hermann’s Upstairs. Days later, the City of Victoria purchased the entire building with the goal of supporting Victoria’s live music industry by retaining the iconic downtown performance hub.
According to a City of Victoria source, the purchase of the building also included the rights to the ‘Hermann’s Jazz Club’ and ‘View Street Social’ venue names. So any future tenants of the sites would be able to operated the venues under those names.
