Manchester institution Joshua Brooks is reopening this month after huge £200K revamp

One of the city’s most iconic nightclub venues, Joshua Brooks is set to reopen following a massive £200K refurbishment.

Joshua Brooks first landed on the Manchester nightlife scene in 1993 when it played host to the Chemical Brothers’ first ever residency in the rainy city.

Over the years, the venue has welcomed a whole host of house and techno giants to its brick basement, ultimately earning itself the title as one of the most iconic nightclubs in not only Manchester, but the whole country.

Amid the Covid-19 lockdown, however, the venue was forced to close its doors and was eventually bought out by new owners, Jorge Meehan and Brian Murphy, an entrepreneurial pair renowned in the industry for owning and operating venues such as Wile Out Festival, Southern Sunset Festival, Social Avenue, and Acropolis.

N Chadwick / Flickr

With over twenty years of combined experience, Meehan and Murphy have been throwing their expert attention into breathing new life into Joshua Brooks, bringing the historic venue back to its former glory with an extensive ‘back to brick’ refit.

So, what’s the vision for the ‘new’ Joshua Brooks?

Well, the new-look venue will be a one-stop-party shop for musically minded Mancunians, say the owners, combining drinking, dining and dancing from dusk until dawn. By day, the revamped bar will be a home-from-home for the city’s workers, featuring comfortable seating, exposed brickwork and all of the nostalgic charm for which the venue was known.

It will also be gaining a brand new outdoor terrace, where guests can enjoy ‘al fresco’ drinks as they watch the world go by. For those wanting a taste of the classic Joshua Brooks, however, their brick basement will also be returning, and will continue to host the best house, techno and funk DJs Manchester has to offer.

@joshuabrooksmcr / Instagram

There is also the addition of an on-site food kitchen courtesy of Cubanitos. Well known at festivals across the country, this camper van-food kitchen hybrid will be permanently parked up in Joshua Brooks, offering tantalising Cuban street food from 12 pm-11 pm every day.

Speaking about the exciting reopening, new co-owner Jorge Meehan said: “We are so excited to reopen the doors to Joshua Brooks.

“When we found out it was no longer returning as a club, we felt compelled to take the project on so Manchester did not lose yet another clubbing institution. We have so much love for the space after running events there for over seven years, and we are so proud to be able to open up once again with the new additions of the kitchen, the terrace and, of course, some of the world’s finest DJs.”

The revamped venue will be reopening to the public on Friday July 23rd, playing host to Darius Syrossian – House DJ Mark Knight will follow on Saturday July 24th.

Tickets are priced from £8 – get yours here.