When clubs were finally allowed to reopen after lockdown, we thought we were on the edge of something massive. After more than a year of silence, empty dancefloors, and an industry held in limbo, we believed we were about to witness a true revival—a second Summer of Love.
We imagined packed-out venues, a cultural reset where clubbing meant more than just a night out—it was a reconnection, a catharsis, a long-overdue celebration of togetherness. But that didn’t happen.
There were no mass crowds storming the doors. No boom in clubbing. No golden age. Instead, the return was slow, fragile, and underwhelming. Venues reopened, but not to the roaring trade many had expected. For every viral clip of a midnight countdown leading to a dancefloor surge, there were dozens of clubs staring at half-empty rooms, wondering where everyone had gone.
The Rebound That Never Came
There was a flicker of excitement at first—some people were keen to get back out, to reclaim the nights they’d lost. But it faded fast. Clubbers weren’t coming back. Some had moved on, their habits changed by lockdown. Others were put off by higher prices, stricter rules, and a different energy to nightlife than they remembered.
The reality is, the industry has been struggling ever since. The idea that clubbing would return stronger than ever was a fantasy. Instead of a roaring ’20s revival, we got a slow and painful crawl back to a scene that, in many ways, had been permanently damaged.
An Industry Left to Struggle
Since reopening, the challenges have only stacked up. Costs have skyrocketed—rents, energy bills, supplier fees, staff wages. At the same time, club closures have continued at an alarming rate. The support the industry so desperately needed never materialised.
We shouted about it. We asked for VAT reductions, relief on business rates, real government recognition of nightlife as a vital part of the economy. But we got nothing. The same government that shut our doors overnight, and told us we were “non-essential”, has done nothing to help the industry recover.
The Cultural Cost
This isn’t just about businesses struggling—it’s about culture being lost. Nightclubs have always been more than just places to drink and dance. They’re where communities form, where new music movements take root, where generations find their identity. And yet, we’re watching these spaces disappear, replaced by soulless, sanitised alternatives.
A scene that once thrived on diversity and creativity is now under threat. As more venues close, we risk losing the underground, the subcultures, the spaces where people felt truly free.
So, What Now?
We can’t wait for help that’s never coming. If the government won’t step in, we have to step up. That means supporting independent venues, promoters, and events. It means choosing to go out, buying tickets, showing up—because if we don’t, this industry won’t be here much longer.
The Summer of Love I hoped for never came. But maybe, if we fight for it, we can still create something new.
