Whether you were a sixties Dungeon dancer checking out the latest sounds or a Media darling who liked a big club in the late 90s, our list has something for everyone. Does anyone remember the legendary Bopp at Pandora’s Box?
It’s been a difficult time for nightclubs and pubs across the UK thanks to changing nightlife, a cost of living and an energy crisis. However, the city has always had a quick turnover of food and drink spots as evident in how many we have loved and lost over the years. We chose seven of the clubs that we still miss even to this day.
1. Bopp at Pandora’s Box
The row of buildings that curve around Spaniel Row to Hounds Gate was once home to Pandora’s Box. The club had the legendary Bopp night which played Motown, Indie, Rock n Roll and Northern Soul. Once you were on the floor, it was hard to leave. Bop moved on to other locations including Bar Eleven but it never felt the same and closed in 2018. Pandora’s Box was also home to ACES and Industry Sundays but it too closed in 2014. | Caroline Barry / 2023
2. The Dungeon and Mario’s on Stanford Street
Nelson’s offices were once the scene of two of Nottingham’s most beloved nightclubs: The Dungeon and Mario’s. The Dungeon came first in the mid to late sixties and it was the place to go to see some of the biggest names in music including the Drifters, The Faces and Ike and Tina Turner. By 1968, the club was closed but not before a huge police raid. It was reopened as Mario’s nightclub in 1972 which was one of Nottingham’s first ever LGBT+ clubs. | Caroline Barry / 2023
3. Halo Nightclub
The supermarket was once the site of the Gaumont Cinema which was sadly knocked down in the 1970’s and turned into an office block in 1975. It was once the site of the Hippodrome and later, Halo. Halo closed in 2009 with the owners citing the recession as a reason for its closure in July. Just outside the nightclub was the scene of an assault which left a young man from Bulwell with fatal head injuries earlier that same year. | Caroline Barry
4. Gatecrasher Nottingham and Media
The club was originally Elite Cinema way back when but it opened as Media nightclub in 1999. The ‘pure dance’ club had a capacity of 1,930 which was often rammed with clubbers on a good night. The mega club closed in 2006, but it reopened as Gatecrasher, after a £1.5m refurbishment the following year. | The club was originally Elite Cinema way back when but it opened as Media nightclub in 1999. The ‘pure dance’ club had a capacity of 1,930 which was often rammed with clubbers on a good night. The mega club closed in 2006, but it reopened as Gatecrasher, after a £1.5m refurbishment the following year.