Whilst the title might make it sound as if Guildford once had a casino-nightclub crossover, the reality is a little bit less intriguing. Instead, we’re talking about the nightclub space that has borne several names over the years, one of which was ‘Casino’. It had been closed for a period but is now reopening after undergoing a major revamp.
Boasting a 1,000-person capacity, the Y Nightclub and Y Bar now offer four rooms as well as an outside space, meaning that it could well become the go-to venue for people looking to spend time with their friends on a night out in the town.
What Went Before
When the building first opened, it did so under the name of Harpers, which was given in honour of the owner, Michael Harper. The lease was then taken over by Ian Forward in 2017, who renamed it as Casino. Employing 40 people, which went up to 60 at peak moments, Casino Nightclub was somewhere numerous people from Guildford spent time over the years. In spite of its name, it was very much a nightclub and there wasn’t a roulette wheel or blackjack table in sight. You can insert your own joke around the idea of the only gambling being about who you went home with.
In 2022, Experience Guildford awarded Casino the ‘Best Bar None’ overall winner, as well as the Best Late Night Venue award. In spite of this, it closed for the final time in the June of 2023. Not long after, a new nightclub opened in the building under the name of ‘Aux’. This lasted just eight months, closing down in the May of 2024, much to the disappointment of users of the Facebook site Guildford Past & Present. The closure came after a 32-year-old was arrested by police on suspicion of supplying class A drugs, although police said they didn’t issue a closure order.
Other Plans for the Building
Those with a good knowledge of the building in which the new venue has opened will doubtless have been surprised about the decision to open another nightclub there. There have long been plans to renovate the building, even to the point that a complete demolition was considered. One set of plans included the possibility of it becoming a complex which would’ve included restaurants, retail spaces and yes, a casino. That was in 2008, then two years later an application to demolish the building altogether was made to Guildford Borough Council.
Although the application was granted, no demolition was carried out and new plans were put forward in 2018 to see a 14-storey building replacing the nightclub. That included both leisure use and student accommodation on the upper floors, but it was objected to by the Guildford Society in the October of that year. In the November of the following year, a new application was made to the Council that would’ve seen a 10-storey building with two basement levels being built, resulting in close to 50 responses being entered that referred to that as ‘completely inappropriate.”
The Relaunch
Y Bar has been opened close to the building for some time, but the nightclub on the site was in need of a thorough refurbishment. It has undergone exactly that, establishing itself as a go-to space for between 600 and 800 people. In terms of what has happened there, there is a new dance floor and an updated sound and lights system. On top of that, new video screens have been fitted. The desire of those behind the nightclub is to see it added to the list of both national and international places to head to for those that are part of the world’s clubbing scene.
That ambition has been backed up with a packed schedule of events being booked to take place at the Y Club. As well as top DJs and live music acts, well-known stand-up talent has also been scheduled to make an appearance there. This will come to a head in December, when the Dutch DJ Dennis Quin, who is a legend on the international clubbing scene, will appear. A week later, Gary Lineker’s son, Freddie Lineker, will be playing a set of his own, for which tickets are already selling. It is all part of the relaunch of the building as a clubbing venue rather than seeing it be demolished.
New Year Plans
If you want to get a sense of how big the organisers behind the Y Club and Y Bar are looking to go, you need only look at the plans for New Year’s Eve. There is a huge NYE party being put together, which organisers hope will not only be one of the biggest in Guildford, but one of the largest such events in all of Surrey. Before that, the Y Club will be used as the venue for the ACM annual showcase on the 25th of November, hosted by former X Factor winner, Louisa Johnson. It is all part of the plan to make the venue into a place for local music and talent to be promoted.
Although most will obviously only see it as a nightclub, especially thanks to its history as exactly that, the aim is to create a ‘Y Live’ community. That will see both the Y Bar and the Y Club used to host numerous different live events, which the people of Guildford will be able to get along and enjoy. That will ensure that the building becomes known to more than just people who like to get along and go clubbing of an evening, making it a much more all-encompassing place for the town to enjoy in both the day and the night moving forward.