Where will people go to party now Revs has shut?

The final pints have been pulled and the farewell shots have been poured.

After 15 years at the heart of Ipswich nightlife, the town's Revolution club is no more.

It opened in 2011 in the former Pals building on Dogs Head Street following a £1.4m refurbishment.

Revolution - or Vodka Revs, as it was also known – became a go-to place for clubbers, work parties and hen nights, playing dancefloor fillers to which people could let loose.

But the chain called last orders at 21 venues on Tuesday after falling into administration.

So how could it affect the town's nightlife, and where will Ipswich's clubbers go to party now?

Christina Parnell, 39, from Ipswich, said she used to go to the venue when it was Pals, and last went last year for a few drinks with her friends,

"For the generation today, I don't think there's much for them to do now that it's shut, because there's not much left now," she said.

"When I went clubbing there were a lot more clubs open and it was cheaper, but now the prices have gone up.

"I don't think as many people [come to Ipswich] now that is has shut as it was one of the main places where people would come to club and drink."

Annie Conway, 20, last went to Revolution "ages ago" in 2024 but said she felt "quite upset" when she heard it had closed.

"Me and my best friend Morgan went there quite often when we turned 18, and just going out with her was the best memories," she said.

"The staff were so nice, too, so it's sad to see it go and I personally don't think a lot of younger generations will go out now."

David Wright said he "felt a bit disappointed" when he heard Revolution was shutting, was having always had "a good time" there – not least on New Year's Eve.

"It was packed, the music was good, and I remember an S Club song came on, so I was delighted, and we ended on a high," he said.

The 18-year-old also said that with Colchester, Norwich and London "just a train away", more young people were going elsewhere to enjoy their evenings.

"There are not too many clubs or bars that are open late in Ipswich, so it is a bit of a let down and nothing compared to the bigger areas," he said.

The Revel Collective, which owns the Revolution bar chain, announced it would be shutting venues on Tuesday.

The company, which also owns Revolucion de Cuba and Peach Pubs, had put itself up for sale in October after facing "a continued period of external challenges".

Of its 62 pubs and bars across the UK, 14 Revolution bars, six Revolucion de Cuba bars and one Peach Pub were closed with immediate effect, resulting in the loss of 591 jobs.

Leyla Edwards, who owned The Club, in Ipswich, can sympathise with the chain's decision in the face of pressures within the hospitality industry.

She ran the venue on the Cornhill until January 2025 when she decided to close down after her overheads "got out of hand" and she ran out of savings.

She was "not surprised" that Revolution had shut down.

"The town is a fragment of what is was. I was a promotion manager for years and I remember queues everywhere and four nightclubs, all rammed," she said.

"But the town is a ghost town now and every closure is one step away from customers giving up and staying in, which is affecting the remaining venues."

Ervin Hyso, owner of Escape Club, which moved into The Club's premises, said he was "not happy" about the closure of a rival venue.

"I will never be happy to see a place closing. I'm more happy to see new places open that bring more people into the town," he said.

"Every day the town is more dead and people do not go out because there's nothing and everywhere is closed or everyone is working hard to survive."

Hyso, who also runs the Supper Club, also said too many people from the town were choosing to venture into London for their nights out instead of staying local.

"It is good to invest in Ipswich and support the people here than to go and give money to London, because London is running very good," he said.

"But in Ipswich it is difficult because people do not go out too much and do not spend money – what I am saying is it is hard to keep the people of Ipswich happy."

Lee Walker, chief executive of Ipswich Central, the town centre's Business Improvement District, said he had a "personal" reaction to the closure, having danced, met with old friends and made new ones at the club.

"For it to be closed down, not because of how the great venue was being run locally, felt even crueller," he said.

"But it gives us hope that the venue can be filled again quickly."

He said people should bear in mind that "significant numbers of people" had just lost their jobs, and he hoped they could find work in the town's other bars and pubs.

Ipswich still had an "incredible amount of pubs and nightlife" venues for people to enjoy, he said, 24 of which were promoted through its Sip'swich scheme.

Neil MacDonald, Labour leader of Ipswich Borough Council, said the closure was "very disappointing for our town centre" and would be "felt most at a local level".

"This has been a popular venue both in the day and as a night-time entertainment venue for many years now," he said.

"I do hope the employees all find suitable work locally and the other entertainment venues in the town centre step in to fill the gap that has been left as a result."

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