Leeds nightclubs open their doors at midnight as excited dancers return
Excited Leeds revellers queued up for their first night out dancing since the start of the pandemic.
It comes as the remaining coronavirus restrictions were lifted in England today, allowing venues such as nightclubs to finally welcome back customers.
The excitement was just as palpable in Leeds where revellers queued to enter Bar Fibre.
"It feels so special," said bar owner Terry George. "People are treating it like a very special occasion, like a New Year's Eve type affair. Freedom Eve is what we're calling it.
"Finally, we're going to be able to dance. That's the biggest thing, which is kind of a little bit sad really, because we're given back something that's our given right, to be able to dance in a bar, in a club.
"It should've been something that was there much earlier than this."
Mr George, who had to close one of his three bars in Leeds due to financial pressures from the pandemic, said it would still take "a long time" to catch up on lost revenues, but "to have the place rocking again is going to be so exciting".
"What's it's been like for the last year and a half is stopping people dancing, coming up to people who are sat at a table saying 'You can't dance, you can't sing, you've got to keep quiet'. It's the opposite of what we're meant to be doing in the entertainment world."
Bar Fibre patron Lorna Feeney, 44, said: "I'm absolutely ecstatic. That's my life, my soul - I love dancing. It bonds me, it's amazing, it makes me feel so good.
"It's about listening to the music and really feeling it, having a dance and not having to worry about anything that's going on - not sitting on your chair and getting fat."
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