Draft:Independent Venue Week

Independent Venue Week (IVW) is a project founded in the UK in 2013. , designed to support independent music & arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them. The annual campaign, described by DIY Magazine, Rolling Stone Magazine and Music Week as a “seven-day celebration”, seeks to provide additional awareness and promotion for independent venues during a specific focal point of the year.

The first edition of the initiative took place in the UK in 2014, having marked its 10th anniversary in 2023. The project has expanded into the U.S. with this first edition taking place in 2018. The Independent Venue Week project launched Independent Venue Community in 2021, programming year-round daytime activity in UK independent venues catered for various community groups.

History
Independent Venue Week was founded in the UK by Sybil Bell in 2013. Inspired by the global initiative Record Store Day, Bell "proposed a calendar week that aimed to celebrate all indie venues equally". The first edition took place in 2014 with 17 venues taking part with performances including The Amazing Snakeheads at The Half Moon, Putney and Glass Animals at The Jericho Tavern in Oxford, with Radiohead's Colin Greenwood acting as the inaugural ambassador. The initiative has since held annual editions in partnership with the likes of Arts Council England and BBC 6 Music ,as well as different ambassadors every year including Philip Selway of Radiohead, Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, Adrian Utley of Portishead, English Teacher, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg. Its 10th edition saw over 300 venues participate, as well as the release of the "10 Years of IVW" Impact Report , outlining the project's impact to the UK live music community in its first decade.

Independent Venue Community
Independent Venue Community (IVC) was launched by Independent Venue Week to provide support to venues throughout the year by facilitating daytime activity in these spaces to various communities. The project was launched on 19th July 2022, programming community sessions in UK independent venues for the following demographics: Early Years, Young People, Deaf, Disabled & Neurodivergent, Mental Health & Wellbeing and LGBTQIA+. This initiative has also been supported by the likes of Arts Council England, and championed by founding ambassadors Nova Twins