Incredible footage shows the queues as Manchester’s nightclubs reopened at midnight last night

As the clock struck midnight last night, Manchester’s nightclubs ended their sixteen month drought as they welcomed in maskless guests to take to their dance floors once again.

Lengthy queues were seen outside of various venues across the city as eager party-goers waited for their first ‘proper’ night out in over a year.

Factory 251, Cruz 101, Cirque and Hidden were just a few of the establishments who fully reopened their doors to the public last night, free of all social distancing measures and vaccination passports.

The crowded dance floors and streets were somewhat of an emotional sight: it’s no secret that nightclubs have been among the worst affected throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with many establishments being forced to close their doors for good as a result of lost revenue. 

Throughout the last year, club owners have slammed the government for ‘not caring’ about the sector, with damning figures obtained by the BBC showing how a quarter of venues have closed permanently in the last six years – records show there were 1,694 in 2015, which fell to 1,203 by February 2021.

So to see the establishments open and thriving once more was a fantastic sight – for some people.

Boris Johnson has been accused of being ‘reckless’ by lifting almost all remaining restrictions in one go, with global health experts warning that the decision is a danger to the rest of the world.

@hiddenclubmcr / Instagram

However, the prime minister defended his decision in a video message yesterday, saying: “If we don’t do it now, we have to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it?”

The government has also insisted that it spent ‘billions’ on supporting the industry, with a spokesperson previously saying:“Nightclubs still have access to our unprecedented £352bn package of support, including the furlough scheme, loan guarantees, protection from eviction, Restart Grants worth up to £18,000 and business rates relief.

“Thanks to the success of our vaccination programme, all remaining businesses will be able to reopen, such as nightclubs, at Step 4.”

Today marks the lifting of all remaining Covid-19 restrictions such as the use of face masks and social distancing, though here in Manchester, masks are still compulsory on Metrolink trams and various retail outlets.