
Quite a few businesses in Manchester have been shutting down recently, both last year and a shocking amount already in 2024. It seems that Manchester institutions are not immune, as it has now been announced that Black Dog Ballroom in the Northern Quarter has closed permanently.
The basement club was launched in Manchester back in 2009 by bar entrepreneurs Ross Mackenzie and Jobe Ferguson and it became a mainstay of Northern Quarter bar culture. But the duo announced they were selling the business to fellow NQ bar boss Andy Haygarth of TwentyTwentyTwo, and Black Dog area manager Matt Robson in 2018.
The new owners also took over Black Dog’s sister site Dog Bowl on Whitworth Street West. Dog Bowl remains open for business, and Black Dog Ballroom’s food and drink partner, Smash and Dash burger, announced at the weekend that it would be moving to Dog Bowl.
The last post on Black Dog’s Instagram was from December 13, when the bar was encouraging shoppers to “get some respite from the worst place on earth (Market Street) and pop in for some food and drinks”.
No statement has yet been made about the closure on Black Dog Ballroom’s social media pages, but on Google the site is now listed as “permanently closed”. The plot thickens when you click on the official website, as a large black banner with the bar’s logo now appears. It holds the sad message: “Black Dog Ballroom is now closed”.
Of course, we’re sad to be reporting another Manchester closure, especially a Northern Quarter institution like Black Dog Ballroom, but we’re hoping this prime spot on the corner of the famous Afflecks building will be snapped up by something new and exciting – and we’ll let you know as soon as it is announced.