A huge rave to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manchester's legendary nightclub the Hacienda is being planned - in a basement car park at the site of where it all began. The party is being planned in the car park of the Hacienda apartments on Whitworth Street West, where the original club once stood.
Letters have been sent out to residents of the apartments to announce the plans, which will see organisers of the bash arrange for parking of their cars off site so the party can go ahead on Saturday May 21. It will mark 40 years to the day that the nightclub first opened its doors back in May 1982.
A party was last held in the exact same spot in 2012 to mark the 30th anniversary of the club, with the club's original co-owner Peter Hook joining a host of famous faces connected with the Hacienda from over the years. All proceeds from the event will be donated directly to charity, as at the event in 2012.
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As at the last party, residents of the apartments have also been invited to join the celebrations. A letter, seen by the MEN, has been sent to residents explaining the party and signed by the Hacienda event organisers - Peter Hook, Paul Fletcher, James Masters and Aaron Mellor.
It says: "The Hacienda is revered as part of both Manchester's and the UK's musical history, returning to the original site of the club for the 40th anniversary will be very special for everyone, undoubtedly enhancing the reputation of the building".
It adds: "As you might be aware, FAC51 The Hacienda celebrates its 40th anniversary in May 2022, having opened its doors in May 1982 to create the legacy which has given the apartments their unique heritage and history.
"Some might remember or may even have attended the event which we did for the 30th anniversary in 2012 which was much praised and this event will be generally similar to our previous event in the car park. All proceeds from the event are to be donated directly to charities."
Guests at the 30th anniversary event included Manc royalty like Bez, Mark E Smith and original Hacienda DJs like Graeme Park, Dave Haslam, Jon DaSilva and Hewan Clarke. Famous figures associated with the club were also in attendance on that night.
That included the former club managers Ang Matthews, Leroy Richardon and Factory Records co-founder Alan Erasmus as well as Peter Hook. Around 500 guests at the event were able to party on the closest thing you can get to the original dance floor - in the vast basement car park space.
It continues that they hope residents will be "enthusiastic about the event" and apply for tickets to attend. It adds: "It will generate worldwide attention and media on the building and be a great event for all concerned."
Residents have been reassured that the Hacienda "has vast experience in producing these sort of events" pointing to the past five years performing concerts and producing events for 10,000 people at the Hacienda Classical events at Castlefield, Royal Albert Hall, Mayfield Depot and at festivals across the UK.
The Hacienda opened in the former yacht warehouse in Manchester on May 31, 1982 - the brainchild of New Order manager Rob Gretton and Factory Records boss Tony Wilson. Armed with Factory Records' album profits and the desire to give something back to Manchester they had the idea of creating the "greatest club in the world".
Although making a profit from the venture proved a somewhat trickier prospect, with the club's debts said to have soared into the millions over the years. It eventually closed after 15 years of entertaining the masses in 1997.
In recent years the interest in the club has seen a revival with club nights across the globe and the Hacienda Classical mash-up of orchestra and DJs proving more popular than ever.
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