Defunct clubs in Singapore
There’s been much discussion surrounding Singapore’s allegedly dying nightlife scene – and while upmarket alcohol prices and exorbitant taxi fares are all very valid reasons to stay in on a club night, there’s always a group of millennial party chiongers that can’t help but think, “kids these days don’t know how to party right!”.
After all, many regard pre-Covid times as the heydays of Singapore’s clubbing scene. From lining up outside Zouk’s iconic Jiak Kim outlet, to the many blurry nights spent at St James Power Station, here are all the defunct clubs in Singapore that 90s kids miss.
– 90s kids’ clubs –
1. St James Power Station
Defunct power plant with 11 themed rooms
Image credit: St James Power Station via Facebook
St James Power Station may be a heritage site with a free gallery to explore now, but it was once the life of the party back in the early 2000s. The defunct power plant was one of the most popular clubs in Singapore back in the day, with 11 different rooms blasting all kinds of music.
Live music at St James Power Station.
Image credit: St James Power Station via Facebook
Some of us would remember jamming out to R&B and rock hits at The Boiler Room, or muzzing to Mandopop songs at the Dragonfly. Every so often, the club even hosted celebs like Jay Park and Richard Marx.
In total, the nightclub operated for a good 12 years before shutting down in 2018 when its lease expired.
2. Sparks
Disco on the top floor of Takashimaya
Image credit: Cantosparks via Facebook
Back in the 90s, clubbers didn’t visit Takashimaya just to go shopping – instead, they made a beeline for Sparks, a discotheque located on the top floor of the mall.
Here, party peeps hustled to pulsating techno beats late into the night, and returned for seconds at afternoon tea dances the next day. Yep, throwback to when tea dances were a thing – back in the day, parties weren’t just held after sundown.
It’s unclear when the popular nightlife spot shuttered for good, but it seemed to go off the radar some time in the late 90s or early 2000s.
3. Madam Wong’s Bar
Shophouse pub with oriental decor
Image credit: Dolby Thx via Facebook
A hotspot for those of us who wanted chill drinks with a side of loud DJ beats, Madam Wong’s Bar was one of the coolest places to get TGIF drinks. The oriental bar – decked with traditional Chinese decor – played a mix of top 40s hits, and was definitely a crowd fave.
Peep the oriental decor outside the bar.
Image credit: Dolby Thx via Facebook
Before it shut down in the early 2000s, there were even tales of its toilet being haunted, though that rumour never stopped bar-hoppers from visiting.
4. The Butter Factory
Popular club at One Fullerton with themed hip-hop nights
Image credit: The Butter Factory via Trip Advisor
If you wanted to dress to the nines in your campiest fits, themed nights at The Butter Factory were the place to be. The bustling nightclub played host to some of the coolest and vibiest events in town, with party-goers busting their best moves to a mix of hip-hop and house music.
The club, which opened in 2006 and shuttered in 2015, was also one of the first more progressive hip-hop clubs in SG that was queer-friendly.
– Clubs Gen Z kids might also remember –
5. Zouk Jiak Kim
The OG Zouk before it relocated to Clarke Quay
Image credit: @_wolf69_ via Instagram
Zouk still holds its title as one of SG’s most iconic clubs today, but we can’t help but miss its earlier days at good ol’ Jiak Kim. Whether you were more of a “pre-drinks at Robertson Bridge” kinda person, or the type to get high on jugs of Long Island Iced Tea inside the club itself, 90s kids created some of our fondest memories stumbling around Zouk’s main room, Velvet Underground, and Phuture.
After all, the club operated for a long 25-year run at Jiak Kim before moving to its current spot at Clarke Quay. Some of us might even remember its full-house closing party on 3rd December 2016, which saw over 4,000 attendees bidding goodbye to the iconic club.
Inside of Jiak Kim house today.
Image credit: Jiak Kim House
P.S. – If you miss Jiak Kim, you can relive some memz by dining at Jiak Kim House Restaurant, a Modern Asian resto that took over what used to be Velvet Underground.
6. Cherry Discotheque at York Hotel
Aesthetic hip-hop club with retro decor
OG Cherry at York Hotel.
Image credit: Cherry Discotheque via Facebook
Ah, old-school Cherry. The ultimate cool kids hangout spot back in 2016, Cherry Discotheque’s OG York Hotel premise was all the rage for its ultra aesthetic, Tumblr-worthy retro decor. Many of us would’ve snapped pics with the gang by the club’s cherry-red neon signboard, or tried our hands at working the retro arcade machine there.
But of course, we stayed for the music. Aside from serving up sick hip-hop tracks, Cherry also played host to hip-hop group Higher Brothers, and famous record producer Choice 37.
Cherry at Cecil Street.
Image credit: Cherry Discotheque via Facebook
The club took a year-long hiatus back in 2017, before relocating to its Cecil Street location in 2018.
7. Get Juiced
Bar-club with affordable drinks
Image credit: Timo Korvikoski via Google
If you were freshly 18 and trying to dip your toes into the clubbing scene back in 2017, you probably recall patronising Get Juiced for pre-drinks with your pals.
Image credit: Yuewei Lim via Google
This bar-club hybrid was particularly popular amongst students for its affordable drinks and shooters, which started at just $5. What’s more, there was no cover charge to enter, and the pub practically doubled as a club, with dance floors in different rooms playing various genres of music.
Unfortunately, it shut down in 2020 due to Covid, after just 3 years of operations.
8. F.Club
SG’s most fashionable club back in the 2010s
Image credit: F.Club x Attica via Facebook
Did you know that the “F” in F.Club stood for FashionTV? This explains why the club allegedly had a stricter dress code for entry back in its heyday. In fact, their website used to state “no effort, no entry” as one of their house rules, which meant that clubbers here would have to be a little more conscious of their attire.
Once inside, though, you’d get to pick between 2 rooms – either playing house and electronic music, or hip-hop and top 40s – to vogue the night away in your best fits.
F.Club operated alone till 2019, when it moved out of its premises to merge with its next-door neighbour, Attica. The 2 clubs operated as F.Club x Attica for around a year, till they shut down in 2020 due to Covid.
9. Attica
2-storey nightclub at River Valley Road
Image credit: Attica Singapore
Before they merged with F.Club in 2019, Attica was another party hotspot at River Valley Road. The popular 2-storey club had a VIP lounge area with guest tables, plus a courtyard for clubbers to mingle over drinks.
If you wanted to host a major corporate event, the club’s 2nd floor was also the perfect venue to throw a lit gathering, with amenities like a large stage, plasma screen, and wireless mics for attendees to use.
10. Bang Bang
Atas club at Pan Pacific Hotel
Image credit: SJS Group
Before Marquee was a thing, Bang Bang was the resident atas clubbing spot at Marina Bay. It was housed in the Pan Pacific Hotel, and had cool decor like diamond-shaped cages, CO2 guns, and elevated platforms for dancing.
Despite being located in a 5-star hotel, the club removed cover charges back in 2018, making it the first nightclub in SG to give free entry to all. Unfortunately, it shut down shortly after in 2020, also due to Covid.
Which defunct clubs in Singapore do you miss the most?
Between some of our fave clubs relocating, and others completely fading into oblivion, these legendary defunct clubs in Singapore are still lodged deeply in our memories, and remind us of simpler – albeit wilder – times.
If this list made you wanna relive your rah-rah days again, check out this list of unique nightlife spots in SG to jio your old drinking buddies to.
More nostalgia:
Cover image adapted from: @_wolf69_ via Instagram, St James Power Station via Facebook, SJS Group, Cherry Discotheque via Facebook