​V&A Museum to host exhibition on London’s lost music venues

Kensington’s V&A Museum is set to host an exhibition on London’s lost music venues next year, and has called for help in its curation.

The museum has asked Londoners to submit “artefacts and music ephemera” from closed venues across the capital by Saturday, May 31, in order to complete the exhibition.

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Noting that 3,000 venues have been shuttered in London since the pandemic, which includes bars, pubs, and nightclubs, the exhibition hopes to highlight the importance of music culture in London, and the rapid rate of decline in venues, particularly grassroots spaces.

The exhibition, titled ‘Lost Music Venues’, will welcome submissions including flyers, music equipment, photographs, signage, film, DJ gear, flooring, setlists, clothing, and designs from any venues that operated in London between 1988 and 2025.

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In a new study released last month by Capital on Tap, it was forecast that 57% of London’s pubs and clubs could shut down by 2030. It counted 8,457 pubs and clubs in London currently, predicting that the figure would plummet to 3,617 in five years.

The V&A hasn’t revealed an official opening date for its ‘Lost Music Venues’ exhibition yet, but it can be expected to open next year. You can submit music ephemera and artefacts to [email protected] until May 31.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter