Music Venue Trust and The Victoria and Albert Museum team up for ‘Lost Music Venues’ project

Music Venue Trust and The Victoria and Albert Museum will be teaming up for a new project called ‘Lost Music Venues’.

MVT are proud to share that we will be working with the V&A on an exciting new project that champions grassroots music venues and their cultural legacy. The V&A is planning a display about the importance of grassroots and independent music spaces, from pub venues to nightclubs across the United Kingdom. The museum plans to show off the legacy of the UK’s countless music venues that have closed, and is calling on people to submit their artefacts and music ephemera from 1988 to 2025 to complete their collection.

The exhibition will launch in 2026, and those interested in submitting must do so before 31 May 2025.

This exhibition comes at a pertinent time for the grassroots music industry. Music Venue Trust’s 2024 Annual Report shared that Emergency Response Case numbers have increased by 19%, representing 24.9% of the membership facing a threat of permanent closure. The report illustrates that significant work is still needed to prevent a continued decline of the sector.