Residents in Huddersfield say the town’s nightlife has virtually “gone”.
With several clubs and activities closing, the town has become lacking in excitement, causing concern for the local economy and entertainment industry.
The rise in online shopping and delivery services that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a decrease of customers in the town centre, causing businesses to struggle and close. This decline in business has led to the closure of popular nightclubs, such as Tokyo and Five, which were once staple destinations for club-goers in the town.
Pharmacist from Huddersfield, Allison, recalls her experiences when she first started getting into Huddersfield’s nightlife as “always looking forward to going on a night out and the did not matter either”, she reminiscences when Tokyo closed it affected her nights out ”Tokyo was kind of the best part of your night, when it closed, everyone was forced to go to Five which was good too, but now that’s gone too.”
Young people in Huddersfield have fewer reasons to go out and experience the nightlife as the town lacks attractions beyond the pubs and clubs. The town needs more entertainment options to cater to the younger generation, such as cultural events, music festivals, and art shows, to keep the town exciting and busting with tourists.
Morgan, who is a University of Huddersfield student, says “there’s just not much to do here when it comes to night life, so, I just usually go to Leeds or Manchester to truly experience good nightlife”.
Camel Club Photographer, Andy Butterworth, looks back at memories saying: “Camel club has changed in little bit from what it was in even 2015, the club was always packed but so were all the other clubs at the time, the music is still the same though”,
“It is one of the original clubs in Huddersfield, like it has been here so long that almost everyone knows it if you’re just wanting to go out, plus we play all types of music there so you might not like one night, but you will like another night we have on”.
The people of Huddersfield can hope the town can regain its position as an exciting and vibrant town with a thriving nightlife.