Popular gay bar Libertine closes after opening just two years ago
By Ruby Hegarty
Libertine, an LBGTQ+ bar, has announced that it is closing its doors just two years after its opening in 2021. Formally located on Tomb Street, the LGBTQ+ inclusive space was co-owned by Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn, who also announced the closure of nightclub Cuckoo on the Lisburn road in August this year.
Image credit: Belfast Telegraph
Nairn’s Tomb Street venture, Libertine, was an important place for queer people across Northern Ireland. The co-owner posted on facebook in 2021: “next on the bucket list was an inclusive LGBTQ+ club- and we have no doubt that Libertine will help make our community even more amazing than it is now.”
Students on facebook page ‘QUBLove’ have expressed their grievances on the loss of an important establishment, with one writing that “a lot of the trans community are upset by Libertine closing as it was their only safe space.”
Libertine is the place to go “if you want a proper gay bar”, wrote another student only a couple of weeks before the nightclub’s closure.
Events were running in Libertine as recently as Saturday 30th September - but the venue’s website has since been removed. The business has, however, reported that “a full refund has already been issued as of Monday 1st October 2023” for any tickets or bookings that have been made.
Rumours that the Tomb street venue’s closure is down to the cost-of-living crisis are unconfirmed, yet co-owners Kristian Nairn and Jim Crawford-Smyth previously stated that this was the case for sister nightclub Cuckoo’s closure.
“The cost-of-living crisis, coupled with unsustainable rents, rates and other spiraling costs, have forced us to make a tough decision. Therefore, we have officially resigned as current tenants of Cuckoo” wrote Nairn and Smyth earlier this year.
As Belfast loses a popular drinking spot, the LGBTQ+ community loses an important and inclusive space for students who are exploring their identity or merely wanting to enjoy themselves in a safe environment, Libertine’s shutdown is a huge loss.
If you are a student in need of an LGBTQ+ friendly space, the LGBTQ+ Student Association can be contacted via instagram at @qubsuqsa.
Edited by Alice Wesley
Ruby Hegarty is the News editor at The Scoop. She is a third year History & Politics student.