This past weekend, The Highdive was open as The Highdive for the final time. It has been announced that venue will undergo a rebrand and change in 2016: The venue will become The Accord.
The Highdive was open and host to hundreds of shows and events since it opened in 1999, and though the name and brand is being put to rest, The Accord will reopen on January 15th with a new look and a slew of shows that have been announced, including an opening weekend of comedy and music featuring a free show with Nick Thune on Friday, January 15th, Creed Bratton (from The Office) on Saturday, January 16th and a highly anticipated reunion show for The Beauty Shop on Sunday, January 17th.
Quite the opening weekend for the new venue.
Here’s some information per the venue’s website:
The Accord is an opportunity. As our community continues to expand, we find that Downtown Champaign needs a center for live entertainment.
Whether it’s music, comedy, discussions, dancing, drama, or the like — we want to host it, and bring it to you; curated, developed, presented in the best possible way.
You can check out all of the shows announced at the website, which features the lineup for the 25th annual Great Cover Up, Hey Marseilles, Stand Up Comedy Showcases, Aaron Kamm & The One Drops, El Ten Eleven, Whitey Morgan + Cody Jinks, and more.
The new venue is a partnership between CMT Ventures, the owners of The Highdive, long time talent buyer Ward Gollings, and The Nicodemus Agency, which operates The Pygmalion Festival and has been producing shows in Champaign-Urbana since 2002.
Full disclosure: The Nicodemus Agency is owned by the same parent company that operates Smile Politely.
For more information, or if you have questions about the new venue, you can contact [email protected].
