Independent Venue Week returned for its 12th consecutive run in January 2026. Celebrating music from across the globe, from small, emerging talent, to trailblazers, the industry can’t get enough of. Independent Venue Week is a week-long incentive championing the power of community by celebrating independent, DIY businesses in the music industry.
This year, 236 venues across the United Kingdom took part, marking a 10% increase over last year. Since its founding in 2013 and the launch of its first ‘Independent Venue Week’ initiative the following year, the program has spent 12 years showcasing top performances from both established and emerging musicians.
Each year, a new conversation enters the never-ending discourse around the importance of grassroots and independent venues— and for good reason. While large-scale arenas like London’s The O2 and Wembley deliver unforgettable moments and major exposure, every musician has to start somewhere—often in smaller, humbler spaces.
London’s grassroots venues have long proven this. Nambuca, for example, has hosted early performances from bands like The Libertines, Frank Turner, and Laura Marling. The Old Blue Last saw Arctic Monkeys take the stage way before their global breakthrough, as well as the late soul and R&B singer Amy Winehouse. And that’s just a snapshot of a few venues in London, never mind the countless small spaces scattered across the rest of the UK.
More often than not, these independently run—and often slightly dingy—venues are among the best spaces for musicians to land their next big break.
For Independent Venue Week 2026, experimental punk duo Nova Twins were announced as Artist Ambassadors, returning to their hometown of South East London for a gritty show at the Amersham Arms. Reflecting on the show, the duo wrote on Instagram:
“Thank you @theamersham and @ivw_uk. It was amazing being back in a space so close to our hearts. Independent venues really are the bees of the music ecosystem. They make everything else possible. Take them away, and the whole system collapses. Big love to all of you for coming out and helping keep them alive!”
Over the past seven years, Nova Twins have gone from building momentum to becoming one of the most exciting, genre-defying, and emotionally resonant projects in the punk scene. In 2025 alone, they delivered a major main stage performance at Boomtown Festival, made their debut on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and released their third studio album, Parasites & Butterflies. While they have now achieved major recognition, their roots are in small, independent venues — understaffed, underfunded spaces that quietly provided the backbone of their career.
Independent and grassroots venues aren’t just essential for musicians; they’re vital spaces for fans, too. These venues typically sell affordable tickets and sometimes organize free shows, offering a safe space for music lovers to indulge in what they love, without the stress of financial burden.
While discussions about saving independent venues can sometimes feel like déjà vu, the cause remains crucial: preserving the music industry, protecting jobs, and providing opportunities for personal and artistic growth.
As mentioned above, Independent Venue Week has seen a 10% increase in participants this year, proving how important this conversation is, since more musicians are going out of their way to take part.
In addition to Independent Venue Week, other organisations are pushing to keep the conversation of the value of independent and grassroots venues afloat. Such as Music Venue Trust, Save Our Scene, and Music Declares Emergency, to name a few.
As long as independent, DIY and small live venue businesses remain a threat in the music industry, these companies remain an integral asset as to how we can see positive change in this space. It’s a vicious cycle, but it’s through these places that we are exposed to more talent globally year in and out.
And while the number of people attending live shows at grassroots venues increased by 13% in the UK in 2025, as per Music Venue Trust’s 2025 report, 53% of grassroots venues failed to make a profit that same year.
The prospect of keeping grassroots venues alive remains a prominent struggle, but the future still feels hopeful now that more people are going to them, and more musicians are speaking up.
Photo credits: Independent Venue Week (lead image), Tamiym Cader (Nova Twins)