Green Room to reopen under new ownership after closure announcement
The Green Room on Devonshire Street will relaunch in June 2025 under new ownership after announcing its closure earlier this month.
The long-running venue, which confirmed on February 11 that it would shut after 22 years, is set to reopen as The WaterBear Greenroom, operated by WaterBear - The Music College.
The move secures the future of one of Sheffield city centre’s longest-running independent music venues following the retirement of owner Patrick Flynn, who has overseen the space since the early 1990s.
Mr Flynn said: "It doesn't feel like its been nearly 23 years since we opened the Green Room - time flies when your having fun.
“I’ll take away lots of amazing memories with me and look forward to seeing what Waterbear do with the venue.
“We have always championed grassroots music over the years and it's very important that it continues, it couldn't be in safer hands."
The venue has played a varied role in the city’s cultural life.
Before becoming The Green Room in 2003, the building housed Rickshaw, Sheffield’s first Chinese restaurant.
Later, it became Mr Kite’s café bar and Casablanca, a well-known bohemian hangout.
Its latest chapter will maintain its function as a live music space while introducing a new daytime use.
Under WaterBear’s management, the venue will operate as a public live music space in the evenings, hosting touring acts, emerging artists and community events.
During the day it will be used by students from the college’s Sheffield campus for rehearsals and performance development.
Eve Massaad, Chief Marketing Officer at WaterBear, said: “Sheffield has always been a city that backs its own - and The Green Room is part of that story.
“We’re proud to be preserving what people already love about this space, while reimagining it as The WaterBear Greenroom: a place that champions grassroots artists, welcomes the public through its doors, and gives emerging talent a real stage to grow on.
“At a time when venues like this are under real pressure across the UK, securing its future feels genuinely meaningful - for the city, for the scene, and for the next generation of musicians.”
A WaterBear student welcomed the news: "I love it there, there are two nice stages, one little acoustic and a main stage.
“We are going to be putting on plenty of gigs."
WaterBear opened its Sheffield campus in 2023, expanding from its Brighton base, where it already operates two public-facing venues designed as live stages and artist development spaces.
The Devonshire Street site will now follow the same model.
Despite the change in name and management, the venue will continue its core function as an evening live music destination, maintaining its place in Sheffield’s independent scene while introducing a structured link to the city’s next generation of musicians.
Further details about the official launch event in June are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.