The White Hotel in Manchester will be closing down at the beginning of 2027, the founders have confirmed.
Austin Collings and Ben Ward, who opened the now iconic venue in 2015, shared the news in a new interview with The Guardian, published yesterday (Wednesday May 27). In the piece, they cited how the decision was reached due to Salford City Council’s Strategic Regeneration Framework – which places the former car garage in a flood-risk zone.
“Basically, it’s a swamp,” Ward told the publication, adding that they were pleased that they at least got to “go out on our own terms, long before we became a museum” and saying that it was a “surprise” that the venue “lasted this long anyway”.
During its 12-years, The White Hotel has become one of the most popular underground clubs in Manchester, and hosted performances from the likes of Jamie xx and SHERELLE.
In their interview, both Collings and Ward revealed that the venue was never intended to stay open as long as it did. Instead, they both opened it in 2015 and planned to stay there for just one year, before moving to Los Angeles, where the two of them have music and film contacts.
“Then, because it became popular, you realise, we’ve got to keep this going,” Ward said, while Collings credited the success to their principle of “minimum budget, maximum ideas”. They explained that it dawned on them how popular the space had become when Detroit’s DJ Stingray performed live there and the 300-capacity space was overwhelmed.
Absolutely gutting news.
Read the full story here. https://t.co/SmgrH7vJ0C#AudioNorth #mcr pic.twitter.com/eaa37cq8G6
— The Manc (@TheMancUK) May 27, 2026
The venue will close its doors in January 2027, and Collings said that while the era is coming to an end, “The White Hotel is similar to the Highlander and Keith Richards. It’s immortal”.
In June, the team behind the venue are celebrating the legacy of The White Hotel at Black Lights, a new three-day festival around Blackpool, and Collings and Ward are also beginning a film production company.
The Guardian reports that 7,000 homes are planned for the area around the White Hotel, and the venue itself will now situate a wetland park.
The issue of venues closing permanently has been growing over the years. At the beginning of 2025, it was reported that the UK was losing one grassroots music venue every fortnight as the industry demanded “action not words” to help save them.
Among the many venues that have come under threat are London’s Corsica Studios and The Moth Club, as well as Salford’s Le Pub, The Snug in Atherton, Preston’s The Ferret and The Bunkhouse in Swansea.
Those aforementioned spaces in Salford, Atherton, Preston and Swansea have all been saved thanks to Music Venue Trust’s #OwnOurVenues scheme.
First announced by Music Venue Trust back in May 2022, the campaign went on to raise £2.3million in the first year through a series of donations and investments.
It has been dubbed “The National Trust, but for venues”, and received backing by the likes of Ed Sheeran. It works as venues can sign a “cultural lease” with Music Venue Properties (MVP) – guaranteeing that, as long as they operate as a space for grassroots live music for their local community, they can enjoy use of the building.
Music Venue Properties announce first venue purchase with shares bought by the live music community! @SnugAtherton has become the first acquisition under #OwnOurVenues scheme!
Official Launch Event held today at The Snug to Celebrate new ownership +unveil a commemorative plaque! pic.twitter.com/HmDamLlrRl
— Music Venue Trust (@musicvenuetrust) October 4, 2023
Other efforts have come from MVT joining forces with The National Lottery to launch “the UK’s biggest festival on your doorstep”, Everywhere At Once – which sees big names like Becky Hill, The Lathums and Tinie Tempah perform at grassroots venues across the country to raise awareness.
The event is being spearheaded by Music Venue Trust, Save Our Scene and Association of Independent Promoters, and will also see the National Lottery continue its support of the grassroots sector. The collaboration began back in 2021, when the MVT and the National Lottery came together to help kickstart live music again after the pandemic.
“There is something so important about being in front of people in real life,” Tinie Tempah told NME last week about wanting to get involved in the push to protect local venues. “Think about all the scenes that the UK has been able to bring to the forefront over the years – they typically start in places and spaces like that. So if we lose these spaces, I worry for the next generation of artists.”
“Considering how much UK music has impacted around the world, it’s almost our duty as the British population to preserve some of these venues and spaces. Some of them should be institutions.”
The push to protect local music venues is greater than ever, as reports show that 30 grassroots venues were lost forever between July 2024 and July 2025 – and last year alone saw more than half of those remaining making no profit, with over 6,000 jobs lost.
There is currently an ongoing push for a ticket levy to be introduced, which would see smaller venues and rising talent across the country receive a contribution from arena and stadium gigs to ensure their survival.
The pressure is now on for the live music industry to ensure that 50 per cent of these shows are voluntarily paying in by June 2026, or else the government will step in to make it mandatory by law.
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