At a time when independent venues are dropping at an alarming rate, with 30 closing over the course of a year, it’s never been more important to highlight what the UK’s music scene is at risk of losing. Enter: Main Stage. Over the last few months, The Independent has been teaming up with the Music Venue Trust to relaunch the Main Stage programme and highlight the incredible work being done by some of the country’s most interesting grassroots venues. We’ll be speaking to the people running the show, finding out what it takes to keep an independent music venue going in 2026, and why these spaces are so important for artists and audiences alike.
Each venue that features in the Main Stage series will be the subject of an article in The Independent and receive £5,000 worth of ad inventory, along with design assets that they can use in their comms and marketing to highlight that they're a Main Stage venue.
