Members are told of a big redesign and the ceiling to be raised upstairs.
Plans for the reinvention of the upstairs were explained in this communication from the music team addressed to Soho jazz club Ronnie’s members:
The first-floor refurbishment is going to be significantly greater in scope than the ground floor as it includes a demolition and rebuild of the existing spaces and a new roof!
We will be raising the ceiling heights and extending the footprint to create a room much better equipped to present you a world class music programme. Although Upstairs at Ronnie’s was attracting capacity crowds every week, the performance space, its seating arrangements and the dancefloor in front of the bar were all somewhat of a compromise. After nearly 20 years of intensive use, the interior, seating, bar area and décor were in need of a refresh and replacement.
The plans include a complete redesign of the Upstairs space to create a small auditorium perfect for live performances alongside a beautiful cocktail bar.
The music team at Ronnie Scott’s are excited to deliver a new Upstairs programme that will include music of jazz origin but will also have artistic licence to explore many musical genres such as classical, world, blues, Latin, musical theatre, and the ambition to become the foremost intimate venue for contemporary soul music in the UK.
We are incredibly excited about these plans and are working hard to create a venue which our members will love and bring a fresh addition to the UK’s live music scene.
While we have been careful to conserve the look and feel of the downstairs club, the upstairs venue is going to change significantly, and as such the works will take longer and we plan to open the new space at the end of the summer 2025.
Soho jazz institution
The club initially established in 1959 on Gerrard Street in what’s now Chinatown and a Soho institution housed on Frith Street since 1965 celebrates its 65th anniversary this week.
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