The Haçienda was a cultural landmark that defined a colossal turning point in Britain’s passion for big nights out. The former warehouse standing at 11-13 Whitworth Street West may no longer even exist, but the fact that an honorary rave to celebrate its 40th anniversary in what is now a humble car park is surely testament to the Haçienda’s lasting legacy.
Co-owned by Factory Records and Manchester heroes New Order, the club first opened its doors in 1982 and saw many long nights before closing its doors in 1997. The area was later converted into the Haçienda Apartments in 2002 and has not seen much action like the mad old days.
However, as reported in the Manchester Evening News, the 40th-anniversary celebration will see the club’s founder invite residents of the area to come and share in the revelry, with letters signed by Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order), Aaron Mellor and James Masters.
The letter detailed; “The Hacienda is revered as part of both Manchester’s and the UK’s musical history, returning to the original site of the club for the 40th anniversary will be very special for everyone, undoubtedly enhancing the reputation of the building. As you might be aware, FAC51 The Hacienda celebrates its 40th anniversary in May 2022, having opened its doors in May 1982 to create the legacy which has given the apartments their unique heritage and history. Some might remember or may even have attended the event which we did for the 30th anniversary in 2012 which was much praised and this event will be generally similar to our previous event in the car park. All proceeds from the event are to be donated directly to charities.”
A similar bash was put on for the Haçienda’s dirty 30, which was attended by a who’s who of Manchester music royalty, including names such as Bez (Happy Mondays), Mark E Smith (The Fall), and the original Haçienda DJs Graeme Park, Dave Haslam, Jon DaSilva and Hewan Clarke.
The vast underground basement car park space hosted around 500 people and this next decade will bring a new crowd to relive the glory of days gone by. The letter continues that they hope; “enthusiastic about the event” and adds; “It will generate worldwide attention and media on the building and be a great event for all concerned.”
Any official dates are yet to be released however formerly “The events, which are named X1, X2 and X3, will take place in late May and early June.”, with extra sets taking place in Sankeys to cap off proceedings at the party 10 years ago.
