YEP Opinion: Has Covid-19 changed the landscape of Leeds’s nightlife for good?

Our Voices of the Future columnist Alice, 20, on why Leeds’s nightlife has been hit so hard by the pandemic.
The pubs and clubs of Leeds have been hit hard by the coronavirus. 
PICTURE: Anthony Devlin/AFP via Getty Images.The pubs and clubs of Leeds have been hit hard by the coronavirus. 
PICTURE: Anthony Devlin/AFP via Getty Images.
The pubs and clubs of Leeds have been hit hard by the coronavirus. PICTURE: Anthony Devlin/AFP via Getty Images.

As a third-year student studying at the University of Leeds, the nightlife and social scene has been an integral part of my student experience.

Be it going to club nights with university societies or drinking with friends at the many pubs and bars across the city, the city nightlife scene has so much to offer.

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As an 18-year-old leaving home for the first time, the nightlife represented a sense of new found freedom and opportunity that my small hometown did not offer in any form – think the local pub at best.

Fast forward to Freshers 2020, and this former reality is a distant memory.

Gone are the club nights and gone is any form of spontaneity. Instead, this spontaneity has been replaced with pre-booking, queuing systems, limited group numbers and track and trace.

At best, myself and the rest of the Leeds student population can look forward to a trip to the pub with five other individuals that abruptly ends at 10pm.

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Whilst we are fortunate that these types of venues have managed to reopen after their closure in March, the same prospect remains to be seen for the clubbing industry in Leeds.

Even before the pandemic, it was evident from the closure of iconic venues, such as Mint Club and Canal Mills, that the night-time economy was struggling.

Since the national lockdown, however, more clubs have suffered the same fate, with Club Mission being the latest to close its doors.

Yet, this issue affects more than just the student experience.

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The closure of clubs within the city affects those previously employed and reliant on jobs available within the sector.

For grassroots music venues also at risk of closure, aspiring artists will lose the space to perform and showcase new music to a live audience, which in turn will deplete the variety of musical genres available in Leeds.

Although some may see this as a superficial problem among young people and urge us to focus on the more serious issues resulting from the pandemic, it’s important to realise that nightlife and going out resembles more than drunken experiences, it resembles socialisation.

Especially for new students in the city, it’s an opportunity to meet new people, break the ice and ultimately make friends.

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With loneliness being a big problem among our generation, social interaction plays an important role in mental health.

Whilst online software, such as Zoom, has enabled us to maintain contact with our friends and family, online conversations cannot replace that of face-to-face human interaction.

It is evident that the nightlife industry in Leeds, and across the whole of the UK, will remain dormant for some time to come.

However, myself and fellow students in Leeds will welcome its return in whatever form it may be.

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