Bijou: Party like a Celeb!
Set on the River Irwell, just a stone’s throw away from Manchester city centre rests one of the city’s most sought after haunts. With a somewhat unassuming entrance, you may not think this is a playground for some of Manchester’s most famous celebs. With many a footballer, soap star or now faded one hit wonder from the early 2000’s passing through their doors each weekend, Bijou is a hit with those looking to enjoy a night out without the usual mayhem that normally accompanies their every move. Resting beneath six authentic railway arches, the club has decadent décor spread across two floors with many nooks and crannies giving the layout an adventurous and labyrinth-like feel.
At night the main bar becomes the focus of the evening. Acting as the largest stand-alone area within the club, it has a uniquely designed LED ceiling that works in sync with the music. Upstairs holds the private VIP area. Acting as a more relaxed area, with plush leather sofas lining the corners and a secondary bar for extreme ease and comfort, this VIP area is often used by Take Me Out for filming. Bijou pour a lot of effort into attracting the brightest stars from the Manchester scene, so as you can imagine, a big focus is placed on tables and private booths across the club. The owner’s dedication to fully immersing their clientele into the VIP lifestyle means that with each booth comes with a complimentary chauffeur service to the club. Of course, these don’t come cheap. Prices start at £750 minimum spend and crank up to a whopping £1200 for a super snazzy VIP booth.
One word that is intrinsically linked to high end clubs like Bijou is guestlist. As you can imagine, if you don’t look smart then you won’t be coming in and their over-21’s policy may only be an issue to some. However strict a club’s policy, as with anywhere, if you look smart, behave well and arrive in good time, then there won’t be any problems.
Bijou presents a whole host of events across the week for the guest’s pleasure. Rotating across different weekends, the club’s music policy mainly switches between commercial House and R&B with a splash of Deep House thrown in for good measure. Nights such as Religion and Discretion promise a night of stylish debauchery with bottles flying around, table service and partying long until 5am. Mode, taking place on the first Saturday of every month, has a funky house edge to it, with proceedings conducted by the same guys that brought David Guetta.
Bijou represents the high-end club scene in Manchester, a perfect place for celebrity spotting or just having that extra special extravagant night out on the tiles. If this is your style, Bijou is right up there with the big hitters in the North West.
By Jack Evans