Coronavirus: UK Cinema, Theater & Arts Complex The Barbican To Remain Closed Until June 30

London arts venue The Barbican has extended its temporary closure to June 30 2020, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

All cinema, theater and arts events are now postponed or cancelled at the complex until at least that date, in another sign of the daunting timeline and challenge facing businesses.

Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director, Barbican said, “Cancelling and postponing events at this scale really isn’t in our nature. However, having reviewed the current Government advice and looking at how long social distancing measures are likely to be in place, we feel we’re very unlikely to be open until at least the end of June. We therefore felt the best approach was to inform audiences, as well as the artists and organisations we work with, as soon as we could. We’ll continue to keep reviewing the closure date over the coming weeks.” 

“To close our building was a poignant moment for us all. We’ll be back as soon as we can and are already looking forward to the moment we can reopen our doors. Until then, we’re continuing to focus on our digital offer, as we look to bring the best of the Barbican to audiences online.”

While extended closures are disappointing, clarity is also helpful at a time of uncertainty. The venue said today that everyone who has booked a ticket for a Barbican event during that period is eligible for a full refund. The Barbican is encouraging audiences to donate to the organisation to enable it to keep investing in the artists and organisations it works with. It’s also asking audiences to consider donating to its Resident and Associate companies to support them through these difficult times. The Barbican is also promoting its archive of digital content.

Events continue to be lost in June and July due to the illness. UK tennis tournament Wimbledon was another high-profile casualty today.