After two months of closure, the nightclubs will finally be able to reopen their doors this Wednesday, February 16. Partygoers are once again allowed to dance and consume standing up. In Dijon in the Côte d’Or, night professionals are impatiently preparing for their first evening of the year.
“That’s trash! Let’s hope we never see that again!” Alfredo Gladone had been waiting for days to be able to get rid of the “forbidden dance” poster. This Wednesday, February 16, he is smiling, he will finally be able to reopen the doors of his dancing bar, the 100 % latinoin Dijon after two months of closure. “I can’t wait there. I want to work and see my customers. It’s my joy of living, it’s my happiness.” A few hours before the reopening, Latin music is already pushed to the limit. We have to test all the sound and light equipment to be ready tonight. For him, there is no doubt that the clientele will be there.
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For his part Gilbert Febvay, the manager of the discotheque “The Beverly-Eleven Club” is also rather confident. “I think there are people who have got used to partying differently, staying at home. But we still have a clientele who miss it, who will come out and who want to enjoy life. There is a whole generation, the 18-22 year olds, who have missed so much. They’re going to want to catch up, we hope so.”
And to catch up, it will be a “Happy New Year 2022” atmosphere tonight at the Beverly-Eleven Club. Because here, the sacrifice of this unmissable evening has still not passed. For the boss, it’s also a way to officially launch the first party of the year. “It’s the real first of 2022, because we worked a little, but at 10% of our capacity, including for turnover“.
And it is also the first time in 2022 that clubbers will be able to party without constraints: dance without being reprimanded, and consume standing at the bar without a mask. A small taste of the world before, even if the bosses remain vigilant and intend to respect the health measures enacted by the protocol posted online Tuesday by the Ministry of the Economy.
Thus access to discotheques, clubs and dance bars is “conditional on the presentation by customers of a valid vaccination pass”. Wearing a mask inside will not be compulsory, but “it remains recommended for customers and staff within establishments”. Professionals are encouraged to ventilate the premises and provide hydro-alcoholic gel.
There is a whole generation, the 18-22 year olds, who have missed so much. They will want to catch up, at least we hope so.
Gilbert Febvay, nightclub manager
Behind the euphoria of the reopening, the bosses of nightclubs remain worried. After multiple closures, their establishments are fragile. “The first closing was very difficult because we were not helped. I was really afraid to put the key under the door. This time with the help, I was able to hold on “, explains Alfredo Gladone. Gilbert Febvay lost 90% of its turnover during the closure. He wants this recovery to be permanent. “We hope this is the last time we’ve been closed. Financially it’s difficult, but psychologically too.”
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According to the calculations of the SNDLL (national union of nightclubs and places of leisure), of the 1,648 nightclubs in France before the covid-19 pandemic, 25% were in difficulty upon reopening, and 131 in compulsory liquidation. Only 1,500 nightclubs could have reopened. Their last closure, for nine weeks between December and February 2022, was another blow to the profession.
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