Royal Albert Hall ‘to go bust by 150th anniversary’ without urgent funding

One of London’s most iconic venues could be forced to shut its doors forever within months if it doesn’t receive urgent funds, it is reported.

The Royal Albert Hall will go bust by its 150th anniversary in March if it continues to haemorrhage money during lockdown closures, its chief executive told i news.

The west London concert hall has lost an estimated £12 million in potential income since it was forced to shut mid-March.

Boris Johnson has announced that theatres and concert halls are able to reopen from July 4, but not for live performances, leaving the Albert Hall in the “most perilous” situation it has “ever faced”, according to CEO Craig Hassall.

Mr Hassall told the i: “The Government support has been very oblique and vague. We have lobbied hard and consistently across the sector.”

However, he said, Downing Street’s road map for recovery offered no firm dates for theatres to resume the staging of performances to live audiences.

“There is no guidance from Government on when we can open or how we can open,” he said.

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