Protesters dance through Hackney in bid to save Passing Clouds music venue from developers

Passing Clouds in full swing before its permanent closure. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Passing Clouds in full swing before its permanent closure. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Thousands of people marched and danced through Hackney on Saturday in a bid to secure the future of the former Passing Clouds music venue and community centre.

The building in Richmond Road was forced to close last month but now music fans and others who benefited from community services at Passing Clouds are campaigning against redevelopment of the venue.

The weekend march could have been mistaken for a festival with glitter shimmering on the faces of protesters as they bopped along to live music.  Many marchers snaked up the Kingsland Road dressed head to toe in red to symbolise Passing Clouds as the ‘lifeblood’ of Hackney.

As well as hosting a plethora of diverse musical acts and community groups, Passing Clouds used to host a weekly People’s Kitchen that made use of food from local businesses.

The centre was forced to close in August after an eviction notice was served by the landlord, Landhold Developments. An earlier repossession order in June had failed thanks to the actions of the Passing Cloud community.

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