It’s a sad day when anywhere closes. But it especially hit hard when Strokes Croft’s legendary music venue, The Crofters Rights, shut suddenly last summer—we all have fond memories of nights out here, don’t we? We’ve not heard a single thing about its future since then, until now…
The Crofters Rights is one of seven UK venues set to be saved by Music Venue Properties’ ‘Own Our Venues’ initiative. Since 2022, it’s raised over £2.88M and brought five venues into community ownership. And the Bristol venue—that’s hosted everyone from the city’s very own Batu and IDLES, to Arctic Monkeys and Ed Sheeran—is next on its list.
How is it being saved?
The aim is to permanently secure the future of the grassroots music venue, which will revert to its former name The Croft, by changing how it’s owned. That’s why a fundraiser has been launched and you can now buy community shares in the Charitable Community Benefit Society from just £100 (£50 for under 25s).
With a minimum £1,000,000 target (until July 31) from Community Shares, a further £2,000,000 will also be raised from other sources. The community purchase of these venues will “help ensure that their operators can continue to protect their legacy and provide more opportunities for artists and audiences alike.”
The Croft, aka The Crofters Rights, has been a vital cog in Bristol’s live music scene since it opened in 2000. With an intimate 110-capacity live room and 250-capacity club space, it has given many opportunities to up-and-coming artists that the UK’s music scene thrives on.
Marc Griffiths from World Famous Dive Bars, who along with the Exchange is leading the relaunch of the Croft, said: “We are really excited to be working with Music Venue Properties and the team at Exchange to bring the Croft back to Bristol.
“The team at World Famous Dive Bars are made up of musicians, promoters and music fans and we all see that a huge hole has been left in the Bristol grassroots music ecosystem since the Crofters Rights closed in August 2024. We are honoured to be part of the effort to bring back this vital, and quite frankly legendary, GMV through community ownership.”
To learn more about the ‘Own Our Venues’ initiative and to buy community shares head here.