Bristol cocktail bar and nightclub to reopen months after sudden closure

Illuminati Bristol, which originally opened in late 2023, is reopening its doors on June 28 with an event it is calling 'The Rebirth'.         

The venue on Park Street will adopt “a different model” and will now just be open on Fridays and Saturdays, whereas it previously operated seven days a week.  

It is setting out to become “the home of R&B and Afrobeats”, moving away from the chart music it previously focused on.         

If you love Bristol as much as us, sign up now for the BristolWorld newsletter

“We closed due to the financial market and the uncertainty with hospitality up and down,” explained Illuminati business development executive, James Impey.  

“It was difficult to make it work and seven days a week was unsustainable but we’re starting to see the market coming back a little bit more.  

“We’ve been working on a lot of different acts coming in and new DJs, headline artists and concepts.

“We’re purely going to be playing Afrobeats, dancehall and R&B. Before we just stayed down the chart music lane, competing with other venues like Pryzm and SWX - so we’re now going into a niche market.”

From June 28, llluminati will be open from 6pm to 4am on Friday and Saturdays, hosting private functions through the rest of the week.