It’s time we ask the question which everybody is thinking: Is the Leeds club scene dying out?

Leeds has always had a vast array of night clubs to suit everybody’s taste, from the renowned super-clubs such as Oceana (now know as Pryzm), to the nitty gritty Mint Warehouse. However, 2018 has seen several clubs announce their closing, and we can’t help but ask the question, is clubbing in Leeds as we know it, coming to an end?

On the 10th August, the beloved Canal Mills announced they will be closing their doors on new years day due to the redevelopment of the Canal Mills estate. The venue has been open for six years now, sporting immense lineups and events. To celebrate the venue, they released an extensive list of events for the autumn/winter season, their final season. They’ve announced huge acts such as Bicep and Solardo, as well as the relocation of the popular club night Sticky Feet. All that however does not detract away from the fact that it IS closing.

Following closely behind is tech and house venue, Mint Club. After 20 years of epic club nights, Mint is also closing its doors in the new year due to redevelopment of the area. They announced the regretful news on 20th September, along with a long line up of huge DJ’s such as Seth Troxler and Skream to see off 2018. Hundreds of club goers commented on Facebook how devastated they are by the news. However following this, the company announced that sister club Mint Warehouse would be being renovated, keeping the Mint brand alive. Is there hope for the club scene after all?

Tiger Tiger also closed its doors at the end of September. Ok we admit, the club is not as popular amongst students, however the bar and club has opened many branches across the country, and it is still ANOTHER club to close in the space of just a few weeks. No reason was given as to why they were shutting down, but it was announced on their Facebook page: “As most of you are aware, Tiger Tiger Leeds will be closing at the end of this weekend and we would like to thank everybody who has joined us over the years for some memorable nights!”

There are still many popular clubs in and around Leeds, such as Mission, Church and Beaverworks, but with redevelopment spreading across the city, should bars and clubs be more worried? Or is clubbing dying for another reason?

A part of the problem for club owners is that students have started to realise their are other places to get drunk (believe it or not). The latest craze, mini golf-cum-cocktail bar. Yes that’s right. Junkyard Golf and Ghetto Golf are amongst the many new launches of drunk mini golfing, a huge new craze among students. New activities such as this, are contributing to the change in how students lead their social lives, offering cheap student prices to lure us in.

Not only this but music taste is constantly changing, and not many clubs in Leeds change their music genre based on what people are into, O2 Academy student night ‘Projekt’ is one of the few. Venues such as Mint and Space (techno and house) have stuck by their genres of music since the beginning, perhaps giving them a disadvantage in the ever changing music sphere. Recently, tech and drum and bass has become popular again, however it won’t be long before this goes out of fashion, and with it, the night clubs that cater for it.

Clubbing won’t die for a long time yet, if ever, but the clubbing scene of our generation is very different to what it was 10 years ago, hence why some of the long standing clubs are sadly closing their doors.

Or perhaps, just maybe, we can’t party as hard as our parents did.