Will city’s nightlife be an exciting one post lockdown?

As the city scrambles to life slowly in #Unlock1.0, will the party scene be as groovy as it used to be? Industry insiders give us their point of view…
James, co-founder, Off The Record, admits, “There’s no precedence to the situation to say how exactly the nightlife is going to be in the next few months.” But C Arun Prakash, partner of BOATS Beach Bar, confidently says, “Even though the current situation isn’t good, like everything else, nightlife will also be back to buzzing.We’ll follow the procedures — regular sanitisation, temperature check, etc. There’ll be changes — no handshaking and hugging, and maybe silent discos with the doors left open for good ventilation.”
House parties have become common in the lockdown, opines L Raghu Raman, managing partner at The Cycle Gap. “Chennai’s party culture is evolving. That’s why we decided to give people some virtual party experiences during the lockdown.” But virtual trends in pub culture, says James, is temporary. “Because, the very idea of nightlife is to experience the joy of meeting people, listen to live music and watch cocktails being mixed right in front of your eyes,” he explains and predicts that Chennai’s nightlife will be buzzing again in three months.
Would they have to turn enforcers in the new scenario to ensure social distancing among guests once they turn tipsy? “Chennaiites have been responsible drinkers, but obviously, there’ll be exceptions, and we might have to play the role of referee,” laughs James. Raghu and Arun agree with James and say that the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedure) will be followed by all pubs. “At least for the first one month, we’ll have only 50 per cent occupancy. That, by default, helps maintain social distancing. Also, for a short period, there’ll be no valet parking driver and bouncer at the entry points. And there’ll be contactless options to place the order and close the bill as well,” adds James.
Watch the video: