Popular late-night Northampton bar announces closure

The late-night bar was covered in scaffolding for months. (File picture).

Balloon Bar, in Bridge Street, is hosting its closing party on Saturday, December 21.

In a post published on Sunday night (December 15) the club said: “We would like to invite everybody to our last ever Saturday in Balloon.”

“After NYE we will not be reopening in the new year due to redevelopment of the building.

Balloon Bar has been open for six years.

“We would like to invite everybody to our Christmas Party and really give the club a see off it deserves! We wish you all a Merry Christmas.”

The closing party will feature acts from DJ Adley, Mr Scott, LJ Kai Rodriquez and Tommy Phillips.

The former Angel Hotel building - encompassing Fat Cats Cafe Bar and Balloon Bar - has been a blight on Bridge Street since a huge fire in January 2012, which was accidentally started by a roofer's torch.

Fat Cats never opened again but Balloon Bar reopened in July 2013.

Architect drawings seen by the Chronicle & Echo in 2017.

A spokesman for Balloon Bar confirmed to the Chronicle & Echo today (Monday) that Balloon Bar is shutting to allow for redevelopment of the hotel.

Major proposals to knock down the fire-ravaged former Fat Cats on Bridge Street and replace it with a £10 million hotel were submitted to the council by The Old Northampton Group (ONG) in 2017.

Plans to make the site an upmarket hotel were then approved by the borough council in 2019.

Its plan is to use local contractors to create a 60-bed Mercure hotel with a bar and restaurant and a ‘rooftop sky bar’, employing around 60 people, with completion expected toward the end of 2021