Independent Venue Week Partners With NIVA, Bringing 200 Venues Together July 12-18

More than 200 venues in 41 states and territories have already signed up, with  applications still open for those wanting to take part.

The venue-curated programming at this year’s IVW will be combined with the return of #IVWTalks, a virtual conference series that discusses current live music industry issues and includes “Get Schooled,” a full day dedicated to student participants interested in a career in live music to take place July 15, a Thursday.

This year, Independent Venue Week is poised to return inside and in person. 

“Getting ready for this year’s event feels particularly meaningful,” says Cecilie Nielsen, Director of Special Projects at Marauder, the firm that runs Independent Venue Week in the U.S. “For the past 14 months, independent venues and promoters have collectively fought for their very survival and this feels like the turning point that we’ve all been working for. We were happy and proud to grow Independent Venue Week last year—to even have it, under the circumstances. This year, we hope and believe that fans will return with a renewed appreciation for these uniquely important spaces.”

IVW was a chief organizer in helping the formation of NIVA, which is officially partnered with the event this year.

“Independent Venue Week brought us together in good times and then connected us when we had to fight to Save Our Stages,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, board member and communications director of NIVA. “Without Independent Venue Week’s years of bringing awareness to the contributions that independent venues provide in terms of creating a communal space for music, connecting people, art, and commerce, it’s impossible to imagine how this industry could have survived.”