“We hope to see you over the weekend, for one last Pride together”
Red Light is a popular LGBTQ+ cocktail bar (Image: Manchester Evening News)
A cocktail bar that was once voted as ‘one to watch’ just two years ago, has announced its closure. Bosses at Red Light on Little David Street say the queer-friendly bar will be shutting for good after this year’s Pride.
The bar took to social media to reveal the news which was not ‘made lightly.’ Owners listed issues with rising costs, location, and ‘difficulties’ with locals as the reason for the closure.
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Opened in 2023, Red Light was part of a regeneration of one of Manchester’s remaining cobbled streets. The brains behind bar is Deana Ferguson.
A Manchester’s hospitality veteran who wanted to bring a premium cocktail experience to the village. In 2024, the spot was won the ‘one to watch’ award from global media and hospitality specialists, Time Out Group.
Red Light’s final day of trading will be Sunday (August 30).
A post from the cocktail bar on Instagram reads: “It’s with heavy hearts that we share that this Pride will be our last as we close our doors on Sunday 30th August. “This decision has not been made lightly. Like many independent venues, we have faced sustained financial headwinds, challenges connected to our location, and ongoing difficulties operating a late-night venue alongside local residents.
“Together, these pressures mean that continuing is no longer viable. “For so many years, this bar has been more than a place to drink. It has been a home, a dance floor, a refuge, and a place where people could find friendship, freedom, love, and themselves.
“We are immensely proud of the community that has grown within these walls, and grateful to every person who has been part of it. “We want our final Pride to celebrate everything we have created together. Come raise a glass, fill the dance floor, and help us give this place the joyful, unapologetically queer farewell it deserves. “Thank you to our staff, DJ’s, performers, neighbours, friends, and every customer who walked through our doors. You made this bar what it was. Although the doors will close, the memories and the pride we share, will remain. “We hope to see you over the weekend, for one last Pride together.”
