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South London’s cathedral of electronic music Printworks is closing its doors this week, but it's not going out without a bang. Offering its biggest programming yet as a culmination of its six brilliantly successful years of operation, taking us through the final weekend is a banging line-up of dance stalwarts including Peggy Gou, Roisin Murphy, Camelphat, Sub Focus and some very special guests.
The iconic Surrey Quays venue opened in 2017 and can hold 6,000 two-stepping partygoers. It has hosted the hottest DJs across electronic music including Peggy Gou, Bicep, Defected and Aphex Twin. The venue is renowned for its humongous size and excellent programming that attracts flocks of ravers from far and wide. Just last week (April 21) Printworks was ranked the second best club in the world, beating Berghain and Ibiza heavyweights Ushuaïa and Pacha. DJ Mag also ranked it the seventh-best club in the world in 2021.
Printworks won’t be gone for ever, though. The team behind it assured its Twitter followers that discussions around the design, planning and delivery of a future Printworks continue. They confirmed in a statement that the venue will stay shut for ‘a number of years’ but remain dedicated to reopening it, hopefully in the same building, as soon as possible.
In a statement, Printworks owner Broadwick Live said it was ‘delighted’ to be in discussions with developer British Land ‘about our return to the venue following the site’s redevelopment’.
It added: ‘While there is still a detailed planning process that needs to take place before we can 100 percent confirm our return, we’re now further along in this process than we have been for some time.’
Roger Madelin, joint head of Canada Water at British Land, said: ‘Over the past six years we have built a terrific relationship with Broadwick Live, and we very much look forward to being able to secure a long-term future for culture, business and music with them at the Printworks.’
Who is playing Printworks’ final season?
Printworks’ final season has consisted of over 40 shows, from its classic nights to the newest parties taking London by storm. We've already seen stonking takeovers from Fabric, Body Movements and FWD>>.
Keeping with a lil’ element of surprise, the final two shows, taking place on Sunday and Monday, will be headlined by two very special guests. The surprise guests will be joined by Sub Focus & Dimension & MC ID and Kings of the Rollers & INJA on the Sunday. Peggy Gou, Roisin Murphy and Folamour will all play on the the Monday.
For the full, unadulterated line-up, visit the Printworks website here.
Why is Printworks closing?
Southwark Council has reportedly green-lit a project to regenerate the area, meaning that the club will shut its doors after its closing season and be turned into offices. It’s a real shame for music fanatics who would attend its famous day parties, headline shows and its fabled NYE celebrations.
Despite a 10,000-strong petition from dedicated partygoers and music heads, Southwark Council approved the plans back in July, which means that the area will be transformed into a seven-storey-high, three-part building, consisting of offices and shops, as part of a huge redevelopment plan taking place across Canada Water. The council acknowledged the success of the venue, but also said that the use of the former newspaper printing facility as a club was only ever temporary, and plans for redevelopment have always been imminent.
When is Printworks closing?
Printworks's final dance takes place on Monday May 1, after that, it's curtains for the club.
What is replacing Printworks?
Well, apart from offices and shops, it's unconfirmed whether Printworks will be returning to the same building post-redevelopment. But, don’t fret — Broadwick Live has already opened a brand new 55,000 sq ft open-air venue called The Beams in Canning Town and it’s the new London spot for day-to-night raves.
You can get all the latest about Printworks’ final season here.