Good morning {{First name}}!

I, like many, was saddened to hear the news this week that Hermann’s Jazz Club is closing. We’ve seen the downtown core lose so much of its arts culture over the years—several music venues have shuttered recently, few nightclubs remain, and the writing has been on the wall for the Victoria’s two main multiplex movie theatres for some time now. 

As the city grapples with accusations of being boring, the loss of such iconic community spaces certainly doesn’t help this reputation. I hope a new arts venture will fill the void left behind by Hermann’s closure—a city as beautiful as Victoria deserves to have a an equally vibrant cultural landscape.

— Robyn

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

Today: ⛅ 10 / 4

Tomorrow: ⛅ 11 / 6

Day after: 🌧 11 / 7

7-day forecast

The city will soon be saying goodbye to yet another music institution. Hermann’s Jazz Club, the longest continuously running jazz club in Canada, will play its last song on April 30.

The club’s board of directors made the decision to shutter operations at Hermann’s, View Street Social, and Arts on View Society—the non-profit dedicated to keeping music alive at the venues—after “prudent deliberation.”

“This was not a decision we arrived at lightly,” the board shared Thursday on social media.

The board said it had worked to stabilize the organization’s finances and improve operations, exploring “every reasonable path forward.”

“While we made meaningful progress, the financial challenges we inherited from previous leadership proved too significant to overcome in a sustainable way,” the board said.

The iconic jazz club began in 1981 as a small operation in the Bastion Inn on Government Street, garnering a reputation for hosting great parties and swinging live music. Its founder, Hermann Nieweler, eventually moved the space to its View Street location, rebranding it as Hermann’s Jazz Club. 

The venue has faced its fair share of financial issues over the years. After a fire destroyed most of the building in 2000, Nieweler had to cover the repair costs out of pocket. He died in 2015, leaving ownership of the View building to his estate. 

The building went up for sale in 2019 until Arts on View Society stepped in to lease the Jazz Club, View Street Social, and Hermann’s Upstairs. The building was taken off the market in light of the long-term lease.

In 2024, Arts on View announced it would terminate the lease for Hermann’s Upstairs, a two-room performing area that hosted popular dance parties and more underground music, to focus its efforts on the Jazz Club and neighbouring View Street Social.

Not long after the Upstairs closure was announced, the City of Victoria swooped in to buy the building from Nieweler’s estate for $3.4M. Later that year, a new tenant was found to bring music back to the space. Since early 2025, The Coda has operated on the upper floor of the Hermann’s Building.

The Coda’s owners shared on social media that they were “deeply saddened to hear the news” on Thursday.

Calling Hermann’s Jazz Club a “pillar of cultural history,” The Coda team is encouraging patrons to support it and View Street Social in their final weeks of operation.

“Let’s give these iconic spaces the send-off they deserve.”

Read the full story here.

North Quadra Urgent and Primary Care Centre closed today for a scheduled power outage. 8am-4pm (operations will resume at 4pm). Virtual appointments will not be affected during the day. [Island Health]

Northbound Blanshard closure, between Bay and Caledonia, today through Tuesday. 7am-7pm. [City of Vic]

Europa Super Circus in town at the Saanich Fairgrounds, today through March 29.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.