Jam Park announce closure of their Swords venue one week ahead of reopening

Jam Park have announced the closure of their Swords venue, just one week ahead of the planned reopening.

The announcement comes as a major shock to Dublin nightlife as the venue was set to be used as the venue for a "trial event" in July, in association with Bodytonic.

In a statement on Jam Park's website, the organisers wrote, "We’ve tried our best to come to an agreement regarding our lease since the Covid pandemic forced us to close, but no dice. So we are now left with no choice but to close in Airside and look for somewhere else".

"When we opened in summer 2019, games, live music shows, club nights, Eatyard food vendors, markets, talks, film screenings, bingo, big screen & sound sports, fitness classes, and even a rooftop farm were all part of the Jam Park game plan. However we only had a chance to be open for 9 months before Covid hit. It’s ironic that during the time of closure is when we began to find our feet with the place. We had developed a great sense of optimism about the future. It’s amazing how fit you can get when you’ve 15 months of pre-season training!"

"All of that is now gone," organisers continued. "To be told this news one week before we reopen is a bitter pill to swallow, maybe if we’d have been told 6-12 months ago it would have been easier to accept. But the game is the game. Now we need to find somewhere else to play."

The venue opened in 2019 and served as a cultural hub for live music shows, club nights, markets and more.

Dublin clubbing series District 8 has also announced its closure following the announcement. The company moved to the Swords venue in 2019 after their former venue in the Tivoli Theatre was demolished in.

District 8's expressed their disappointment at the announcement on their Instagram, describing the news as "devastating".

"It’s been an immensely challenging time for us all and in particular our industry over the past 15 months," they said.

"We are currently exploring options available to us and look forward to sharing our future plans with you".

Jam park said in their statement that they will be sending out cancellation notices regarding hundreds of events that were due to take place at the event this year, adding, "To everyone who had pencilled dates for live music shows, record fairs, markets, bingo & games events, exhibitions, talks etc, unfortunately consider all dates null and void at Jam Park".

"Until then it’s...game over."