Fiesta Nightclub (Sheffield)

Fiesta Nightclub
Industry Nightclub
Founded August 1970
Founder Keith and Jim Lipthorpe
Defunct 1980
Headquarters Sheffield, England

When it was opened by Keith and Jim Lipthorpe in August 1970, the Fiesta nightclub in Sheffield, England was reputed to be the largest in Europe.[1] The Lipthorpes had originally opened a Fiesta nightclub in Stockton five years earlier in Stockton on Tees.[2] The Sheffield Fiesta was situated on Arundel Gate in Sheffield, it cost £500,000 and had a 1,300 seat amphitheatre.[3] Some of the biggest stars of the 1960s performed there, generally for a week at a time, with the opening act being The Shadows. Other major music stars performing there included Matt Monro, Sandie Shaw, The Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Roy Orbison, Ella Fitzgerald, The Four Tops, Cilla Black, Lynsey de Paul, Tony Christie and the Jackson Five, but also comedians such as Les Dawson and Tommy Cooper, as well the all-round entertainer, Bruce Forsyth.[4]

The building now houses the Sheffield Odeon cinema which opened in 1992.[3]

Closure

The club closed in 1976 following a 17-day strike by the workers wanting to join the Transport & General Workers Union. It reopened under new management shortly afterwards before closing for good in 1980. It is said the history of the Fiesta mirrored that of Sheffield itself, when it opened in 1970 Sheffield was a city with a booming industrial economy and full employment, but by 1980 the steel and coal industries were in steep decline.

The story of the venue is told in the No Siesta 'Til Club Fiesta book by Neil Anderson.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sheffield: City On the Move... The Reel Monty". BBC. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  2. ↑ Drury, Colin (6 October 2012). "The Fiesta's star burned bright". The Star (Sheffield).
  3. 1 2 "Those Vegas nights". Sheffield Telegraph. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Memories of Sheffield Fiesta". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  5. ↑ Neil Anderson (9 October 2012). No Siesta 'Til Club Fiesta. ACM Retro. ISBN 978-1908431097.
  • "Memories of Sheffield Fiesta". BBC. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  • The Fiesta’s star burned bright - News - The Star
  • Tributes to Sheffield’s ‘Mr Entertainment’ - Community - The Star


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