Once the beating heart of Plymouth’s after-hours culture, Union Street was known for its large queues outside nightclubs, glowing neon signs and its pounding bass lines that once shook the city centre every Friday and Saturday night. But today the same cannot be said; the city’s after-hours culture is rabidly dying and tells a very different story.
In its prime, Union Street was the place to be when wanting to party in the Southwest. Locals and students would go down the strip to enjoy the old-school clubs such as Crash Manor, now The Depo, and the iconic Kularoos. To get a sense of its former glory, I asked members of a local Facebook group to share their memories of Union Street. One member had this to say, “In the days I would go clubbing, the strip would be packed; by 3am you wouldn’t be able to move, the street was full of life. There are hardly any clubs in Plymouth now. It doesn’t seem how it used to be.”
Now the once loud, manic Union Street is no more. But why?
Over the past few years, we have seen some of Plymouth’s iconic venues shut their doors forever. Leaving locals, students and promoters questioning the future of Plymouth’s nightlife. Although most cities have lost many bars and clubs, Plymouth is known to be one of the major cities struggling; it’s evident that the city has experienced a notable decline in its nightlife venues over the recent years. For instance, the closure of the beloved club PRYZM Plymouth – PRYZM was once the city’s largest nightclub, where it gathered 2,400 people most weekends. However, on the first of January 2024, the club shut their doors. The parent company, Rekom UK, blamed the closure on “tough trading conditions” and a reduction in student investment. The news of the club’s closure left locals and students disappointed as they took to Facebook to discuss the matter with many others. “This makes me sad!!” commented one regular. Another source stated, “Does anyone know why it’s closing?? Seems like a very successful club, so this is very sad news.”
Additionally, over the past two decades, various traditional pubs in Plymouth have said goodbye. Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has documented the closure of several pubs in Plymouth. Most reasons have the same pattern, with factors like rising operational costs, changes in consumer behaviour and external faces such as the COVID-19 pandemic all play a part in the loss of Plymouth’s once loved pubs.
Most of the reasons for the decline come back to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus caused the UK’s nightlife scene to come to a complete standstill. Forced closures, capacity restrictions and months of uncertainty hit Plymouth’s nighttime economy hard. In 2013, Britain had 1,700 nightspots. In June 2024 that number has dropped to 787.
To understand how the pandemic impacted student life, I spoke to two Plymouth students, one who experienced university before COVID-19 and one who enrolled afterwards.
Lauren Butcher, now 27, studied at the University of Plymouth from 2015 to 2019. She remembers the city’s after-hours scene as vibrant and buzzing with energy, describing how students were spoilt for choice when it came to deciding what club, bar and pubs to go to. “I loved my time as a Plymouth student. Nights out were a huge part of my uni life in my first 2 years. We had themed nights and cheap drinks, and every club would be open until the early hours of the morning.”
Isabel, a second-year Plymouth Arts student who joined university in 2023, describes Plymouth’s nightlife as ‘dead’ and says how it’s a struggle to find somewhere worth going. “I wish I could enjoy clubbing like how previous students did,” she says. “But due to the high cost of drinks, Ubers home and club entries, it’s not worth it. Me and my friends prefer house parties or drinks at home; it’s more affordable and honestly more fun.”
Their experiences reflect the wider generational and cultural shift. While students of the past embraced Plymouth’s nightlife as a rite of passage, today’s students face higher costs, fewer venues and the lasting impact of the pandemic.
But many of the challenges facing Plymouth’s nightlife go beyond the pandemic. Rising rents, stricter licensing regulations and increasing noise complaints from residential areas have created an environment where running a nightlife business feels riskier than ever.
I spoke to the previous owner of Popworld Plymouth, Sam Holloway; he believes the decline can’t be blamed on the pandemic alone. He said, “I personally believe that it’s other factors, not just the pandemic, causing the decline. Namely a bit of change in drinking culture caused by the government and people changing the way they socialise.”
He points to the rising popularity of home drinking, stricter alcohol awareness campaigns and the appeal of more controlled, less chaotic environments. “Going out used to be the norm; now it seems to be more of an event. People are more selective, and that’s changing the industry as a core.”
Some people argue on whether Plymouth’s nightlife can make a comeback. Grassroot events, independent promoters and a creative use of spaces are starting to form. New venues like The Depo are trying to build Plymouth’s night-time culture back to life by bringing live music and safe clubbing back to the spotlight. The Depo is an independent music venue that opened its doors to Plymouth in 2021 and has quickly become a member in regenerating the city’s nightlife.
Located on Union Street with a capacity of 750 and a state-of-the-art sound system, it’s been drawing crowds across the Southwest and beyond. “We knew the city needed a fresh start,” says one of the Depo Promoters. “We wanted to create something that wasn’t just about drinking or commercial nights; our aim is to bring good people, good music and a proper vibe.”
The venue has hosted a range of events, from drum and bass and house DJs to live bands and student nights. It’s showing to be a new model for Plymouth’s nightlife culture.
While The Depo represents a modern and inclusive spot for the music and nightlife lovers of Plymouth, it isn’t the only organisation working on keeping the city’s nightlife culture alive. For students, Fishies provides a midweek night out every Wednesday at Revolution on Union Street. Now a well-known event beyond Plymouth, Fishies has built up a reputation as one of the most iconic student nights, with events also taking place in other cities like Bristol and Bath. From foam parties to witty themes like ‘Mario Kart’, Fishies has done a great job when it comes to giving the students of Plymouth a place to go and love.
While Union Street may have grown quieter, efforts from venues like The Depo and events such as Fishies offer a sense of hope. For now, many are left wondering: is this the end of an era for Plymouth’s nightlife, or is it the beginning of something new?