Storing a coat or bag on a night out can now cost more than £13 at some UK venues, compared with around £2 not long ago. Prices listed by venues and nearby storage providers range from £9 at London nightclub Fold to £15 for large bags at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
At Outernet Live in London, a large locker costs £11. Drumsheds charges up to £13.20, with customers able to reuse their lockers without paying again. Large bags at Manchester’s Warehouse Project must be stored at a nearby Premier Inn for £11.99 per locker. Storage near Edinburgh Playhouse costs £9.99, while Leeds venue Testbed charges £9.90.
Rising storage fees are part of a broader increase in the cost of a night out. The Night Time Industries Association says average spending per person rose from £20.95 in 2020 to £28.06 in 2026. Its chief executive, Michael Kill, points to higher expenses for energy, staff, taxes, business rates and supplies. Venues have passed some of those costs on to customers, he says, but warns that people cannot keep absorbing price increases indefinitely.
Storage can also provide venues with revenue as customers spend less on alcohol. Willem Pelle, head of sales at Dutch locker company eLockers, says venues in the UK have faced staffing difficulties since Covid, making traditional cloakrooms harder to run. The company works with clubs including Drumsheds, Fold and Warehouse Project. Pelle says venues typically pay no upfront cost and share locker takings with the provider.
Security requirements have also changed how venues handle bags. After the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, which killed 22 people and injured more than 1,000, legislation known as Martyn’s Law introduced requirements for appropriate public protection measures at events. Many venues, including Academy Music Group’s 18-site network, now prohibit bags larger than A4 and direct customers to external storage. In London, those arrangements can involve nearby businesses such as kebab shops, restaurants and barbers.
The experience can be frustrating for customers. London-based spin instructor Carrie Wang said she was charged £10 to leave a nearly empty tote bag in a kebab shop near O2 Academy Brixton. She described the space as a random storage room rather than a secure locker facility. Academy Music Group did not respond to requests for comment.
Kentish Delight owner Ahmed Khan says O2 Kentish Town Forum asked in 2022 whether his takeaway had spare space for bag storage. He charges £5 per bag and says nothing has gone missing, though customers using the service do not usually buy kebabs.
Some concertgoers have chosen to hide their belongings rather than pay or wait in queues. At an AEW wrestling event at Wembley Arena, fans were directed to a nearby Premier Inn, where storage cost £10 and queues were long. Soul singer Danny Toeman said he once hid his rucksack behind a car-park vending machine after taking valuables out. He acknowledged that an unattended bag could create a security risk and potentially lead to an evacuation if staff found it. A Reddit user also reported leaving a bag outside O2 Academy Southampton, where it was stolen.
Not every venue charges double digits. The cloakroom at Hackney Bath House is free, while Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s still charges £2 per locker, a price it has maintained since installing them in 2012. At Peckham club the Carpet Shop, customers pay £3 per item. General manager Cam Prentis says the space and rail do not justify a higher price, and sees the staffed cloakroom as part of the club’s atmosphere: it gives staff and customers a quieter place to take a break and talk.
Sources: The Guardian Business.