This afternoon, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were joined by the Mayor of London, London's Night Czar and the Deputy Mayor of Culture to show their support for London's night economy.
London is known over the world for its vibrant and diverse nightlife, but the night-time economy has been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19. The hospitality and entertainment sectors were completely closed during the first lockdown, putting venues at risk of permanent closure. Many of the 1.6 million people employed at night, large numbers of whom are freelance, are still facing serious threats to their livelihoods as the industry continues to struggle.
At Soho Theatre, Their Royal Highnesses watched a short performance of one woman show, Half-Breed. Following the performance, The Prince and The Duchess met theatre stuff, including front of house, bar staff, backstage crew and cleaners.
The Mayor’s £2.3m Culture at Risk emergency fund is helping some of the most at-risk small businesses, including providing support and guidance to 141 grassroots music venues.
Their Royal Highnesses later visited The 100 Club, the world's oldest grassroots music video. The nightclub has been run by the same family for four generations and Ruby Horton will take over from her father Jeff, when he retires. The club has championed all kinds of new music scenes from blues to rock, punk and almost every new genre over the decades.
The venue has been a key case in the Mayor of London’s ‘Culture at Risk’ work. The Night Czar has negotiated unique status for the venue with the council, reducing business rates to zero, and has also helped to keep rents down through direct liaison with the landlord.
