The Lowdown

People sit at a table in front of blue and red store front that reads 'The Glitch'
Two people stand behind a bar, with shelves behind them

We want to put culture at the heart of our community and inspire people to effect positive change through creativity.

The Glitch is a vibrant artsy café & bar and unique creative space in the heart of Waterloo, created by VAULT Creative Arts, producers of VAULT Festival. Good coffee, cheeesy toasties, cold beers, delicious cocktails and the most welcoming staff. It’s the perfect place to meet with friends, work in comfort, or relax admiring local artworks. As the evening draws in, the space morphs into a lively bar with intimate nights of comedy, theatre, music, spoken word, and special one-off events and parties. A unique space with plenty of atmosphere that’s open and inclusive to all. We’re queer-friendly and proudly a safe space for the LGBTQIA community, with many of our events led by or created for queer people.

A performer wearing all black, with brown hair stands against a brick wall. Above them is a lit up sign that says 'The Glitch' and some multi coloured bunting.
An audience watches a performer, who stands on stage with a party hat

Our Story

The Glitch exists to be a place where people can belong, and to put culture and creativity at the heart of our community. 

The Glitch opened in July 2022 as the first permanent home for VAULT Creative Arts and VAULT Festival. Alongside tasty food and drinks, we showcase work-in-progress shows across theatre, comedy, and cabaret, and host regular networking and development events, providing leading independent artists with an opportunity to try out work in various stages in front of a live audience. A year on, we’ve hosted more than 500 shows at The Glitch; have 15+ artists in residence, have hosted two editions of our live performance festival, A Pinch of VAULT, and we’re still providing a welcoming space for artists and the local community to meet, work and have fun.

An group of people stand in a bar, looking towards an event at the back of the room

Sustainability

Sustainability

The Glitch is committed to being as sustainable as possible. Our Sustainability Commitments are made public to ensure that we are accountable for our efforts.

  • By paying a small donation on your bill when you visit The Glitch, we guarantee to plant a fruit tree in the developing world to counterbalance the carbon footprint of the supply chain. Our Company Forest shows all of the GiftTrees planted as a result of our partnership with Sustainably run.

  • We use sustainable, recycled and/or recyclable materials for all of our tableware and provide tap water for free in reusable cups.

  • We work with local, environmentally sustainable suppliers wherever possible. Our cleaning products are sourced from a green, eco friendly supplier.

  • We offer a delicious plant-based alternative for every food item such as our pastries, toasties and sandwiches.

  • Dairy isn’t good for our planet, so all our hot drinks are 10p cheaper for anyone who orders a plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk.

  • All of our event tickets and receipts are delivered digitally, and our administrative paperwork all takes place online.

  • We recycle wherever possible, and none of our household waste is sent to landfill

  • We have installed flush savers in our toilets which minimises water loss.

  • We are transitioning to energy saving light bulbs and monitoring the use of heating and cooling by using natural ventilation wherever possible. We have also moved to using a green energy supplier.

  • We have a small, dedicated team who holds us accountable for these commitments, and continues to develop new ways for us to become a Net Zero organisation in the near future.

  • Throughout 2022/2023 we’re undertaking an extensive data collection project to better understand our environmental impact. We’ll devise ways to mitigate and reduce our carbon footprint and create a plan to achieve Net Zero in the future.

Our Team

  • Lenia Christodoulou - Bars & Cafe Manager

  • Felix Price - Head Barista

  • Phylisha Wisdom - Duty Manager