A huge new 608,000 square foot entertainment and cultural space is set to open in North London in September 2023.
Broadwick Live, who are behind London’s Printworks and The Beams, and Manchester’s Depot Mayfield, has revealed that live events space Drumsheds is set to open in an old industrial warehouse, which was once the site of IKEA, in Tottenham, North London.
The new 15,000-capacity space will be the company’s most ambitious to date, and host music and cultural events, fashion shows, and brand activations.
As is Broadwick’s style, many of the original features and layout of the old warehouse will remain, including the old lift shafts, loading bays, sprawling floors and machinery.
Broadwick director of strategy Simeon Aldred said: “We want Drumsheds, like all the spaces we create, to be new centres of cultural gravity that provide the basis for human connection. A connection that people crave now more than ever.”
Broadwick ran Printworks in East London for six years, before closing it earlier this year for redevelopment. The new Printworks will reopen in 2026.
Hosting theatre and culture in vast industrial spaces is well on trend, with Factory International opening in Manchester last month; and Ralph Fiennes’ forthcoming production of Macbeth going to Dock X warehouse in Canada Water, along with a number of other warehouse and industrial venues.
Immersive theatre company Punchdrunk developed a huge new space in Woolwich Arsenal in 2022, with The Carriageworks featuring over 100,000 square feet, allowing for a scale never before seen in a Punchdrunk show. Their first show there is current hit The Burnt City. The buildings also host Punchdrunk’s offices where the company develops new works across theatre, TV and gaming.
