Europe’s oldest nightclub La Paloma in Barcelona re-opens

The oldest nightclub in Europe, Barcelona’s La Paloma, has announced it has permanently re-opened after several years of closure.

The historic baroque ballroom, which first opened as far back as 1903, has been operating a phased re-opening in recent months after closing its doors in 2007.

Now, it has confirmed the 1000-capacity venue will boast a full club programme in Autumn 2024, including sets from the likes of Hot Chip, Nightmares On Wax, Fantastic Man, Machinedrum and Theo Parrish.

Located on the border of the Sant Antoni and Raval districts of the Catalan city, the club is switching to its ‘tardeo’ or late schedule for the autumn and winter months, meaning it will be open between 19:30 and 02:00 on club nights.

Other artists announced for the season include Antal, Danilo Plessow B2B Hugo LX, Mainline Collective, Loco Bingo, Egyptian Lover, Luke Una, Mr. Bongo, Ruby Savage, GAZZI, Chico Blanco, Toy Tonics DJs and Bradley Zero.

As part of its phased re-opening so far, it has already welcomed the likes of Adrian Sherwood, David Rodigan, Gilles Peterson and Francois K.

The good news is a welcome respite from the challenging few years that have inflicted the live entertainment industry. A report this week revealed, for instance, that the UK lost 480 nightclubs between June 2020 and June 2024.

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) reported the massive decline in the number of venues still operating, emphasising the urgent need for support and intervention.

The NTIA revealed earlier this year that 31 per cent of nightclubs in the UK were forced to close last year. In May, it was revealed that the first three months of 2024 alone saw a devastating loss of 67 nightclubs.

The NTIA has called for immediate government action, explaining that the shuttering of nightclubs reflects a broader crisis in the UK’s night time cultural economy. The association has urged the Chancellor to extend business rates relief in the Autumn budget as a way to ease the financial burden on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and as a way to ensure their survival.

In a similar vein, back in January, the results were shared for 2023 – revealing a “disaster” that hit grassroots music venues across the 12 months.

Among the key findings into their “most challenging year”, it has been reported that last year saw 125 UK venues abandon live music and that over half of them had shut entirely – including the legendary Moles in Bath. Some of the more pressing constraints were reported as soaring energy prices, landlords increasing rate amounts, supply costs, business rates, licensing issues, noise complaints and the continuing shockwaves of COVID-19.

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