Partiers Bid Farewell to Vics, Beijing's Most Senior Nightclub

It's been suspected for some time that Vics – the Gongti-based mainstay of Beijing's night club scene – was living off borrowed time. In fact, ever since the announcement that the neighboring Workers’ Stadium would undergo renovations for the next three years beginning this September, the fate of Vics seemed all but sealed. After all, the project already forced Tube Station to find a new location for its flagship restaurant. Now, however, that fate has seemingly come to pass. Earlier this week, a source close to the matter told the Beijinger that Vics will in fact, not be reopening.

The confirmation is further bolstered by a video that began circulating this week of demolition equipment near Vics, implying that it would be destroyed. However, the club's building is, at the time of writing, still intact.

As the longest-standing club in Beijing with 19 years in its books, chances are you have a lot of (very hazy) memories of Vics. From amazing nights with friends and good looking strangers, to that time you got black-out drunk from fruit shots and lost your phone, only to be carried out by bouncers on a wheelchair. (It can't have just been me!)

Once upon a time, Vics was arguably the king of Beijing clubs, mixing up a nightly dose of soul, R&B, pop, and reggae. But music wasn’t the focal point of Vics; what made this club so attractive was the diversity of its clientele and energetic ambiance. Whether you were a tourist, an expat, local, or international student, you were welcome in Vics’ crowd.

Interestingly, at the time of its opening, the area around Workers Stadium and Sanlitun was far from being considered the heart of Beijing's nightlife. In fact, around 2002 bars in Houhai were growing at a rapid pace – the vestiges of which are still seen today –giving rise to a saying that would probably shock today's trendy Sanlitun fashionistas, “Farmers go to Sanlitun, cultured people go to Houhai.” Nevertheless, large-scale disco bars such as Vics, Mix, and Coco Banana all started proliferating. Likewise, when SARS hit Beijing one year later, the nightlife scene drastically changed with most clubs either being shut down or unable to weather the storm, ultimately leaving Vics and Mix as the only bars standing.

Unfortunately though, despite its resilient history, Vics has succumbed to Beijing's unrelenting march towards progress. It will, however, be sorely missed.

READ: Cinemas, KTVs, Gyms and More Get the Green Light to Open in Beijing

Images: Trip Advisor, Joey Knotts