Taipei club Pawnshop launches fundraiser to prevent permanent closure

Taipei nightclub Pawnshop has launched a fundraiser in a bid to avoid permanent closure. 

The campaign announcement follows a three-month spell in which the Taiwanese capital’s venue has been unable to open as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, there is still no definite date for parties to return. 

A range of donation tiers are available to those who want to support the venue, which opened in 2019 and specialises in house, techno, and disco parties, but also hosts creative workshops and other events. Various benefits are included with each level of support, ranging from branded t-shirts to future event admission cards, fabric, and screen prints. 

Along with Singapore, Taiwan had been hailed as a COVID-19 success story due to virtually non-existent infection rates. However, a surge of cases in May triggered a lockdown, at which point all music venues and events were put on hold. In November 2020, a number of DJs booked to play the island’s Road to Ultra event were fined for breaking quarantine rules.