_-_geograph.org.uk_-_249159.jpg) As Oceana | |
 Interactive map of The Palais Nottingham | |
| Former names | Palais de Danse, Ritzy, The Palais, Oceana, Pryzm |
|---|---|
| Location | Nottingham, England |
| Coordinates | 52°57′20″N1°08′40″W / 52.9556°N 1.14431°W /52.9556; -1.14431 |
| Owner | DHP Family |
| Type | Nightclub |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 22 April 1925 (1925-04-22) |
| Renovated | 2005 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Palais is anightclub and event space located on Upper Parliament Street inNottingham,England.
The site became vacant when Nottingham Prison was demolished. The building was constructed by the Midland Palais de Danse Company and opened as a dance hall and billiard saloon under the namePalais de Danse. The architects wereAlfred John Thraves andHenry Hardwick Dawson[1] and the contractors were W. and J. Simons. The building featured a globe and frieze of dancers over the entrance. It opened to invited guests on 22 April 1925 and to the general public 2 days later.[2]
The venue's name was changed toRitzy, then became simplyThe Palais, then it was acquired by Deltic Group and becameOceana[3] and thenPryzm. The venue was owned by Deltic Group and then its successorRekom UK until summer 2024, when it was sold due to Rekom UK's financial problems.
It was refurbished in 2005 by Bignell Shacklady Ewing.
In April 1971 the Palais was the site of Nottingham’s own version of the1970 Miss World beauty pageant protest by Women’s Liberation Activists. Two members of the newly formedNottingham Women’s Liberation Group (Barbara Yates and Vreneli Schmid, both Nottingham Art College students) entered the local beauty pageant and when they took to the stage, Barbara ripped off an overskirt revealing a banner and then raced down the ballroom with Vreneli shouting “Women’s liberation!”. Other members of the Group dropped leaflets from the balcony or demonstrated outside the Palais. An account of the experience, written by Barbara Yates, was published inWomen Now: Journal of the Nottingham Women’s Liberation Group[4]. According to a newspaper article on the incident published in theNottingham Post, Palais manager Mr Thompson later said that he would be running a competition for men too and had contacted a former Mr Universe to be on the panel[5].
In 2019, four people were stabbed after a fight that started outside the nightclub.[6] An 18-year-old man was arrested and found guilty ofwounding with intent.[7][8]
DHP Family purchased the venue in the summer of 2024, changing its name back toThe Palais once more, promising a "diverse array of events" when it re-opens in September.[9]
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