Ukraine’s Closer arts center, a staple in the country’s underground music scene, faces the same struggles that venues worldwide are taking on amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The venue has banded together with associated festivals Strichka and Brave! Factory to form a fundraising effort to save itself from financial peril amid the pandemic. As the world begins to prepare for a possible that things could gradually return to normal in 2021, Closer will need to stay afloat in the home stretch before venues are allowed to operate as normal once again.
With a goal of raising €17,000 by December 20th in order to make ends meet, Closer has a sizable task ahead. The venue will also need to match that amount by March to continue on through the winter season. In order to meet these goals, Closer is offering tickets to potential future events for donors.
A €15 donation will get the donor a free ticket to any normal upcoming club event. For €30 and above, donors will be treated to a ticket for a special club event (including holiday events), and for €90 and above they’ll win festival tickets in conjunction with Strichka and Brave! Factory.
“Asking for help is scary enough for me because I have to admit my weakness,” said Closer commercial director Sergey Yatsenko in a statement. “This is why we are launching a campaign to support Closer. We need to collect about 600 thousand UAH in December and collect the same amount before spring so that we can cover winter rental costs and also patch holes in the festival budget.”
“I’m counting on help, the people we’ve been trying for all these seven years,” said Yatsenko.
To donate, visit the official Closer fundraising page.
Image Credit: Closer
