We LOVE a big birthday bash here at QX. And not just because of the alliteration (although we do almost always adore alliteration). This time it’s the White Swan! It’s their 30th! She’s getting old. Happy birthday White Swan!
Thirty years. 1985. Here’s some trivia about 1985 that we found on the internet, so it must be true; The UK’s first mobile phone was released! The first episode of Eastenders was aired! Madonna had her first UK number one with Into The Groove! And the White Swan opened.
A lot has changed. It’s got a new owner for one thing. He’s called Cassio (like the keyboard) and he’s got BIG PLANS for the future. We took him aside to ask about his plans for the future, and get deets about the party of the century (or at least of this year):
Hi Cassio! What’s the biggest change that The White Swan is undergoing?
The biggest change for us at the moment is our basement nightclub refurbishment. When we took over the White Swan it was in a somewhat unloved state. We started with the complete renovation of our main bar, in an Art Deco style. And the basement club will be finished soon, so watch this space!
A few of the gay venues that closed recently did so under the pretence of “refurbishment”. That’s not what’s happening is it?
I understand these questions and concerns from our gay community because that has happened to other venues in the past. However, this has never been our intention and never will be the case here at White Swan. We’ll always be open!
Any exciting things planned for your 30th Big Birthday Bash Weekend?
Marvellous things! We’ll be opening the lounge bar to use all our available floor space because we’re expecting a big crowd. This will be the first time we’ve done this and we’re planning to make it a regular thing. As well as all that, we’ve got an awesome weekend planned to celebrate our 30th. On Friday it’s Parque and Ryde with DJ Stu.D, then the day after it’s our always popular SaturGay with Miss Jason (not to mention an ABBA tribute from Sarah Hewson!). And then Sunday we round things off with a BBQ and open mic night!
What else do you we have in store for the future?
Well as I mentioned, there’s our new basement club with state-of-the-art sound and lighting and a whole new look and feel. It’ll bring back a gay club scene to Limehouse with a boombox-bursting bang! It’s a great space and, once you’ve been once, you won’t want to go anywhere else on a Saturday night. We’ll also be extending our outdoor space, made up of the whole outside space up to the terrace. We’re calling it the White Swan Terrace! All in all it’s been great fun. We’re aiming to redefine the venue in the best way possible, in a way that keeps both our newcomers and our customers happy. The journey so far has been excellent and we have high hopes for the future!
• The White Swan’s Big 30th Birthday Bash kicks off on Saturday 22/08/15.
• The White Swan, 556 Commercial Road, E14 7JD.
