After more than two decades of operation on Broad Street, the Victoria Event Centre will close on October 27, 2024.
The closure is a massive blow to the Victoria music and arts community.
The Victoria Multicultural Society that runs the venue announced in a statement to social media that their lease is being terminated and that a new tenant will be taking over on November 1. It has not been confirmed who the new operator is or what the space will be used for.
The statement also said that a rent increase was a major factor.
“Like Many arts venues in Victoria we have been struggling post-pandemic, and although we’ve had positive signs of getting fully back on track, thanks in-part to support from the City of Victoria and other parners, we just could not weather a substantial rent increase as the owners were no longer able to partially subsidize the space.”
In March, the Victoria Multicultural Society received a $20,000 grant from the City of Victoria to put towards the operation of the venue.
Victoria city councillor Matt Dell who co-sponsored the motion for the grant reacted to the news on social media saying, “Despite all the progress we’ve made on arts/music in the last two years, losing the Victoria Event Centre is devastating blow for the city. I’ve been working with VEC for months, trying to find a solution, and even brought a motion to give them $20,000 in ongoing operating funding, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their challenges.”
The Victoria Event Centre has been in operation seven days a week since 2003. It has hosted concerts, plays, comedy shows, burlesque, art battles, private functions and has served as a venue for numerous festivals including Rifflandia, JazzFest, Fringe Fest and Ska Fest.
The space had previously operated as an all-ages club called ‘Club Hollywood’ and as a Legion. The building was originally used to construct horse-drawn carriages.
The building itself is currently for sale listed for $2.95 million.
The closure of Victoria Event Centre will come seven months after Hermann’s Upstairs shut its doors. The City of Victoria then purchased the building that houses Hermann’s Upstairs, Hermann’s Jazz Club and View Street Social. It has since made renovations in the upstairs space and is now seeking a tenant to run it.
The Victoria Event Centre team closed their statement saying that they will be providing more updates as they navigate their next phase.
