It’s a Boxing Day tradition in Wigan that never disappoints. For more than 40 years, the fancy dress night out has been a highlight in many a partygoer’s calendar.
Superheroes, movie characters… walking bananas – it’s quite the sight.
This year was no different. Aliens, Ali G and even a giant piece of broccoli braved the cold to keep the tradition going. Venues such as The Wiend Bar and Wetherspoons were packed.
“It’s just a mad tradition,” a man named Joe, dressed in an animal onesie, told the Manchester Evening News. Another person said it’s ‘the best night in Wigan’.
Asked about the origins of the mad tradition, one group of friends said: “It’s just a thing in Wigan… it’s just what you do.”
Artist Anna FC Smith previously suggested the tradition began with a fancy dress party at Wigan Rugby Union Club in the late 1970s. Another explanation has now been thrown into the mix – with the tradition’s origins reportedly dating back to Wigan Pier in 1979.
Some 45-years-ago, David Collict, now 75, was working as an electronics engineer. He fitted lighting at nightclubs across the country. A chance partnership with a man ‘with a lot of money’ saw him help launch the now-derelict Wigan Pier nightclub in April 1979.
“It was insanely popular from day one and continued like that throughout its career,” David told the M.E.N. “Later, when the heavy ‘Donk’ dance scene emerged, it was more popular than ever. We had coaches from all over the country come down to visit.”
Eight months after Wigan Pier opened its doors, with Christmas on the horizon, David – originally from Liverpool – came up with the idea that would become part of Wigan’s history.
“We just looked at what was going on in town,” he added. “There seemed to be a tradition of wearing fancy dress on New Year’s Eve.
Fancy dress has been a thing in Wigan on Boxing Day for more than 40 years
(Image: Credit: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
“I just thought ‘let’s buck the trend and do it on Boxing Night’ to see what happened. I was more of a technical person back then, I wasn’t a marketing genius and I didn’t really think that much about it, but each year it just kept growing and growing. It just came into being a thing.”
In 1990, David bought the former County Playhouse cinema building on King Street and spent two years renovating it into a nightclub. When Pure opened, that became the new home for the Boxing Night tradition.
A decade years later, Pure relocated (it still exists today) to the former Princes Cinema near Wallgate, with the Ibiza nightclub taking over its County Playhouse home. Ibiza has been the ‘official’ home of the tradition ever since.
David Collict in December 1979
(Image: David Collict)
“This Boxing Day, we had people queuing up for almost two hours before we opened – it was a little bit scary,” David, who runs the club with his wife and his two children, said. “We had queues running down King Street until about 3.30am, it was just incredible to see.
“Last year was busy, and we thought there was no way it could be any busier than that – but I think we achieved that.”
David added: “Wigan is only a small place, it isn’t a university town. Because of that, we have to really work hard. For Ibiza bar, we get people from Bolton and St Helen’s who come quite a distance to visit us. We’re very fortunate for that and it keeps us going.
The former County Playhouse in 1999 before it was renovated into the Ibiza Bar
(Image: David Collict)
“The night-time economy has taken a beating. Had we not been a well-established and well-run family business, we would have closed during Covid. We were able to reopen and rebuild, but it did knock us hard.
“We’ve built up a really good rapport with everybody to make Boxing Day night safe. My wife buys flip-flops at Primark to give them out to the girls who have sore feet at night – we’re very hands-on about what we do.
“There was a period when Wigan was dubbed a bit of a dark place to go, but we’ve done our best to try and change that image and promote a safe, happy and vibrant space for people.”