There was a time not so long ago when The Gate could, on certain weekends, even rival the Bigg Market when it came to the numbers of drunken revellers who'd pass through its doors.
The city centre venue, which launched to great fanfare in 2002, was once a huge going out hotspot for both Geordie locals and visitors to the city, thanks to its wild ground floor, which used to be party central, thanks to having a bar for pretty much every taste.
These days, while recently opened Disco bar has proved popular, The Wonder Bar is a big match day favourite and there's still an obligatory Wetherspoons to frequent, The Gate definitely feels like a much more toned down affair, rather than seeing lads staggering around in mankinis, which is a sight you'd most definitely have seen 10 to 15 years ago.
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Here are the party bars that used to be THE places to be in Newcastle.
Mood
We'll start with the one that is definitely the biggest miss. Like no other venue in town at the time, Mood was a party mecca for many years. While its downstairs decor was rather baroque, it's musical output was anything but avant-garde, but was all the better for it.
Downstairs was a breeding ground for large groups of stags and hens, with them dancing the night away to cheesy anthems like The Nolans' I'm In The Mood For Dancing and Ricky Martin's Livin' La Vida Loca, while air guitars were always at the ready for a burst of Sweet Child O'Mine and Livin' On A Prayer, with bottles of VK and WKD often used as impromptu microphones.
Upstairs was a very different story. Just a few strides (or stumbles!) up some steps and you'd more than likely hear the latest tune from 50 Cent, Sean Paul or N.E.R.D, peppered with some classic cuts from Ice Cube and DMX.
Mood even had its own restaurant, which was also upstairs, with the upper floor a very easy place to get lost in if you took a wrong turn! After Mood shut down it was replaced by all you can eat buffet Za Za Bazaar, which is also now gone, after becoming a victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
Players
Players was an absolutely multi-floor huge venue, where one minute there'd be live screen sporting action and the next, there'd be girls dancing on the podium to Black Eyed Peas.
Particularly popular with stag dos, Players was famous for its strong drinks and rather tempting midweek drinks deals. And, as well as enticing football fans in with live match action, was also a very popular place to wach high stakes boxing bouts.
It acme as big shock when Players closed for good in the run up to Christmas 2019, just as its team was planning a huge transformation for the venue.
Operations manager Shaun Jenkinson told Chronicle Live at the time: "After 14 years at The Gate, Players is moving. Our lease has ended and we hoped to stay on until our new venue was ready, unfortunately the owners of The Gate are not willing to let that happen."
Indigo
When it first opened Indigo was a rather sedate kind of venue, but not for long as it became one of those bars that seemed to be busy whatever time of the day on a Friday and Saturday as it established itself as a stag and hen favourite.
In 2014, it was reported that The Gate forced Indigo to close as the owners strived to make the complex more family-friendly.
Crown Estates ordered Indigo out of the venue, with signs have gone up in the bar to say it is shutting down, and the interior is being stripped.
Beyond
One of the more recent places to go from The Gate, the two floor bar once played host to A-lister Billy Zane and star guests like Gazza, when it hosted the premiere after party for Newcastle-shot film School for Seduction, starring Kelly Brook, after it had its premiere in the cinema upstairs.
When it wasn't rolling out the red carpet for celebs, the bar was a very busy venue in town. Its two floors were often packed out with revellers, with different genres of music and theme nights, pulling in an eclectic mix of drinkers.
The bar also hosted an array of guest performances from well known acts and, in its later days, as well as having a random giant giraffe outside, aimed to attract students with its treble deals.
Opera
We'll end the list with a more sophisticated establishment. Beyond's next door neighbour was famous for its thirst quenching cocktails, particularly if you got them on the cheap during happy hour!
It was also a great place to catch some live music to start your night off, or to unwind after a day at work or doing some shopping.
