‘The new boss of Deja Vu nightclub in Peterhead has announced its first event since the doors closed on the venue back in 2022.
London businessman Gary Barnes wants to “build trust” with the town as he aims to bring the former nightspot back to its former glory.
A ‘Raver’s Bingo’ event on May 24 will mark the first time Blue Toon locals will be able to take the dancefloor at the Queen Street venue for over two years.
Various attempts to revive the club have faltered and the venue’s licence to sell booze has long since elapsed.
In fact the last time many people will have seen inside was in 2024, when it emerged a criminal gang was using the dancefloor for a cannabis farm.
Gary is determined to change the nightclub’s fortunes and is promising to “bring energy back to the town” with its comeback.
Though he is not yet able to re-open fully due to an ongoing licencing delay, he told The Press and Journal the Raver’s Bingo event will be the first of many fun events taking place.
He and his team are hard at work in preparation for the big day and – and they hope locals are looking forward to it.
Gary said: “We are just planning to put on some events to try and build trust with the public ahead of our full opening as a club.
“The eventual opening will bring employment and footfall and benefit other businesses in the town as well.
“We think of this as a win-win for everyone in Peterhead.
“We have been hearing that a lot of folks have to travel into Aberdeen for nights out.
“With travel and accommodation that can be really costly, so we are hoping people are looking forward to the return of Deja Vu.”
Many events on the horizon for Deja Vu
Tickets for the reopening night are on sale now for £10, with the event running from 7pm on Saturday May 24 until 3am on the Sunday.
It will be open to all ages.
“We are mainly going to be entertainment-based, instead of just opening the doors and saying ‘we’re open’,” Gary said.
“We’ve booked Raver’s Bingo and we have some acts coming up from Glasgow to play.
“We were really looking at different ways to bring the punters in, because the traditional business model doesn’t really work anymore.
“There is going to be lots of live entertainment, lots of fun events and we hope everyone is looking forward to it.”
Gary has been frustrated with some delays, as he works with Aberdeenshire Council to secure all the appropriate licenses.
He said: “I enquired about the premises in November time, which is when the issue with the licencing came up.
“It has been dragging on for months and I’m really not sure what is taking so long.
“As we understand it, all of the necessary checks have been done.
“Here’s hoping it can bring back some energy into the town centre very soon.”
Deja Vu nightclub’s troubled past
Gary also touched on how the venue had been abused in the past, with a London drugs gang taking it over last year.
To make up for that, some of the proceeds of the opening night are going to be give to local Peterhead charity Men United.
He added: “Being a former army veteran, things like PTSD are close to my heart and we also want to give back to the town.
“So are going to see about giving some ticket proceeds to help them out.
“We know that the space has been abused in the past. So it would be good to get it back open as a club again.”
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