Wigan Casino

Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, Greater Manchester, that became one of the best-known homes of Northern Soul music in the UK. The venue was housed in a former ballroom called the Empress, which had opened decades earlier and later traded as the Casino Club before being given over to all-night soul sessions in the early 1970s.

Local DJ Russ Winstanley, working with venue manager Mike Walker, persuaded lease holder Gerry Marshall to let them run all-nighters at the club, and the first one took place at 2am on Sunday 23 September 1973. Early crowds were modest, with around 600 people attending that first session, but the all-nighters quickly built a following, and within months the doors were opening two hours early to cope with demand from fans travelling in from across the country.

The main hall held around 1,200 dancers on a large sprung wooden dancefloor ringed by balconies, while a second room, known first as the Palais and later as Mr M's, offered an 'oldies' session into the early hours and brought the venue's overall capacity closer to 2,000. DJs including Winstanley, Ian Fishwick, Kev Roberts, Richard Searling, Dave Evison and Steve Whittle built the club's reputation for playing fast, danceable and often obscure American soul records, with sessions traditionally closing on a set of three songs fans still refer to as the '3 before 8'.

At its peak the club had well over 100,000 members and was named Best Disco in the World by Billboard Magazine in 1978, cementing its place as one of the central venues of the UK's Northern Soul scene alongside clubs such as the Twisted Wheel and the Golden Torch. The atmosphere, the dancing style that mixed soul moves with acrobatics, and the dedication of its regulars have been written about and dramatised many times since, including in a book by Winstanley and a touring stage play.

The final all-nighter took place on 6 December 1981 after the local council, which wanted to redevelop the area around the nearby Civic Centre, declined to extend the lease. The building was demolished in the early 1980s, and the site is now occupied by the Grand Arcade shopping centre, which includes a small exhibition space with photographs and memorabilia from the club's Northern Soul years.