Brighton’s beloved comedy and arts venue saved by the Cultural Recovery Fund

Caroline Lucas has also expressed her support


The COVID-19 pandemic has not been easy for the UK or world economy. But one sector which has especially suffered has been the arts sector. The Art Newspaper found that the impact of Covid will lead to the arts sector losing £74 billion, a 30% reduction from 2019, and the possible loss of 406,000 jobs.

One Brighton venue which faced the risk of closing was Komedia, an independent comedy, music, art and entertainment venue, which celebrated 25 years of being open in 2019. Komedia holds numerous records, including the Chortle Comedy Award which they have won an incredible 17 times. Yet COVID-19 put all of Komedia’s past achievements, as well as their very existence, at risk. Komedia desperately needed funds to remain existing as an independent venue. If not, the only alternative would be to close for good.

Yet Komedia was not alone, with many arts facilities facing closure all over the country. However, the UK government have released a Culture Recovery Fund Grant Programme which intends to offer financial support for cultural organisations. The Cultural Recovery Fund totals a whopping £1.57 billion, making it one of the biggest one-off funds for the British arts sector ever. In the case of Komedia, their bacon was saved with grant of £247,000 which has allowed them to stay afloat.

Green MP Caroline Lucas also helped raise awareness of Komedia’s problems and encouraged people to donate to the venue’s crowdfunding via Twitter. 

An updated schedule of Komedia’s upcoming events can be found here.