Event Info
Grad Club Fundraiser: NQ Arbuckle
2x JUNO Award nominated band from Toronto, Ontario.
8:30pm - 11:30pm Doors at: 7:30pm
Suggested $30+ donation
Event Description
The Grad Club has hit hard times and in need of a Fundraising!
NQ and the band have stepped right up to offer to play to help the club out!
Suggested $30 donation or more :)
Doors 7:30pm Show 8:30pm
19+
The Grad Club needs your help! Learn more and support the club at https://www.thegradclub.ca/donate
“Recognized by CBC as one of the top 50 ‘most magical’ concert halls in Canada, the club’s closure would be mourned far beyond Kingston as the loss of a treasured venue” - Virginia Clark
Save Our Club: Queen’s Grad Club Launches Emergency Fundraising Initiative
For more than sixty years, The Grad Club has acted as a cultural, academic, and physical gateway to Queen’s University. Now, it is in danger of closing its doors forever. The Grad Club announced today a $100,000 emergency fundraising campaign to keep the beloved campus space at Union and Barrie open for the foreseeable future. Current and former participants in the Grad Club community are invited to make a donation of any size to the campaign now at www.TheGradClub.ca/Donate.
Founded in 1963, the Grad Club is currently facing unprecedented financial hardship due to an aging building with significant infrastructure costs, repayment of CEBA loans granted during the pandemic, and a 400% increase in rent.
“The Club would have had the ability to cope with each one of these setbacks individually, but because they all happened so close together, we are now in a precarious financial position,” said Gabriela Castillo Raga, President, Queen’s Grad Club Board of Directors. “We are asking for help from the broad community of students, faculty, staff, alumni, artists, musicians, performers, and Kingstonians who have loved and been impacted by the Grad Club over the years.”
The Grad Club is unique among graduate student spaces at post-secondary institutions in Canada and elsewhere. As the primary communal space on campus dedicated solely to graduate and professional students to connect with one another, it inspires inter-departmental interaction by providing study spaces, forums for debate and discussion, and hosting classes.
“The Grad Club is unlike any other campus space,” said Stephen Lougheed, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Queen’s University, and Director of the Queen’s University Biological Station. “It’s been as integral as the lab and lecture hall during my three decades at Queen’s, fostering an enriched academic and cultural experience for my students and even acting as a calling card to attract new academics to Kingston.”
Beyond the co-curricular, the Grad Club bridges town and gown, physically positioned where campus and city meet, and welcoming the wider Kingston community to Queen’s by hosting extensive cultural events ranging from music and comedy to trivia and drag.- 2
“The Grad Club has gained a reputation as an intimate, accessible, and fan-favourite performance space that attracts discerning and appreciative audiences,” said Virginia Clark, Manager, Queen’s Grad Club and President, Flying V Productions. “Recognized by CBC as one of the Top 50 ‘most magical’ concert halls in Canada, its closure would be mourned far beyond Kingston as the loss of a treasured venue.”
Over the years, the Grad Club has played host to artists ranging from Neko Case and Death From Above 1979, to The Tragically Hip and Sarah Harmer, as well as thousands of other Canadian acts from across the country.
About Queen’s Grad Club
Founded in 1963, The Grad Club is a non-profit social club at Queen’s University in Kingston for graduate and professional students. The Club’s operations are coordinated through a Board of Directors, elected annually from the Membership. The Grad Club offers affordable access to its members and the membership fee contributes immensely to achieving this goal.
The Club provides an inclusive and safe space on campus for graduate students to work, collaborate, socialize, and relax. It provides a platform that encourages graduate students to meet across fields and share ideas and research. As part of this objective, it provides an extensive study space during daytime hours, with areas dedicated to graduate and professional student use only.
Throughout the day, the Grad Club provides a diverse menu of made-in-house fresh food options. It also provides event space for a variety of groups and organizations from both the Queen’s and greater Kingston community, offering a diverse and extensive lineup of music, comedy, drag, and more.
Venue
162 Barrie St.
Open / Operational