Legendary Manchester dance club Sankeys – once named ‘best club in the world’ – is closing down this summer, and owners are uncertain whether it will ever reopen again in the city.
Rumours had been circulating for a while on the future of the venue, and today owners confirmed that it will be closing its doors for the last time on May 6.
An all day 12-hour marathon party will see the club off in style, which has seen ravers party all night long every weekend for more than seven years.
Owner David Vincent said: “I have decided to close Sankeys in Manchester indefinitely this summer as I focus my attention on our third year in Ibiza.
“Who knows when we will be back in Manchester, or if we ever will be back, or what comes next in this great city I love. I want this current chapter of the club’s history to end with a spectacular party, so we are rounding off the May bank holiday with a huge line-up.”
The Sankeys team will instead be turning their attention to their Ibiza project in Playa d’en Bossa.
“I want our Ibiza project to be the best club in the world, just like what we have achieved previously in Manchester, as I get the feeling this could be our summer,” Mr Vincent said.
“But I need my production and staff from Manchester to come to Ibiza with me to achieve this goal and therefore both clubs cannot be open at the same time.”
The final marathon party features global techno legend Joris Voorn, Berlin’s Desolat queen tINI, London legend and Fuse founder Enzo Siragusa and Darius Syrossian.
Resident club DJs Josef K and Us & Them also play their final sets – who will be joined by Sankeys Ibiza resident DJ Bones.
Mr Vincent said: “I have had some truly amazing memories in Manchester, many brilliant highs including being recognised for contributing significant culture to the city of Manchester at a national museum and also quite a few challenging lows, in a journey which will continue around the world.”
Sankeys won ‘World’s best club’ in DJ Mag Awards 2010 and has seen some of the world’s biggest DJs perform there, including Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, Armin Van Buuren Laidback Luke and Calvin Harris. It was also one of the clubs where Manchester-formed legends The Chemical Brothers cut their teeth.
One regular Sankeys clubber, Louise Bulman, said: “I’m in mourning! WHP needs to open it’s doors all year if this is the case. Sankeys is an underground base for Manchester in my opinion. So as the lady above said there is gonna be some hard boots to fill and also needs to be filled.”
Others were less supportive of the decision to close the Manchester club to focus on Ibiza.
Clubber Miles Grant-Smith said: “Not surprising, you could feed the whole of Africa on the price of one of your drinks.“
Sarah Masterton said: “Very disappointing and unfair that you are closing it, if it wasn’t for the people in Manchester you would never of had a Sankeys in the first place, Manchester loyal costumes are loyal all year round, Ibiza is an Island only opened six months of the year!“
Mr Vincent said: “I want to say huge thanks all of the DJs, live acts, promoters and agents that I have worked with, and all of the Sankeys staff who have helped shape the club during the last 13 years. And most importantly, Sankeys simply wouldn’t exist without our loyal crowd who have made us what we are today, and I want to say thanks to every one of you.”
Will Sankeys ever return to Manchester?
“All I can say right now about what happens next is quite simply: watch this space….”
Picture courtesy of Basic Sounds, with thanks.
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