One of Liverpool’s best-known bars is set to close, the ECHO understands. Alma de Cuba, a popular celebrity haunt of the late-2000s based in a historic church, has been a landmark on the city’s nightlife scene for nearly two decades.
Based on Seel Street in the city centre, the building was originally St. Peter’s Catholic Church, which closed in 1976. In 2005 It was transformed as a venue which became a popular celebrity haunt, and hosted a Liverpool FC players’ party following the team’s 2006 FA Cup win. Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon filmed the video for her 2006 solo debut ‘Woman In Love’ in the bar, which has been through a number of ownership changes in recent years.
Simone Reeves, 41, from Birkdale, has hosted Viva Brasil events at the bar every Friday and Saturday since 2007. After hearing rumours the bar would be closing, she said her dancers were told by a staff member at Alma De Cuba that they should consider it “the very last weekend” of Viva Brasil events and that the bar would be closing soon, to become a pub.
Alma De Cuba was owned by Signature Living before being sold to the JSM group in late 2022. The ECHO understands a new operator is due to take the building on and complete a transformation into a pub-style venue, retaining the original altar and church decorations which made it one of the most eye-catching bars in the city centre.
Simone said it was her understanding Signature Living were still involved in the running of the venue. A press release attached to an email sent to the ECHO in January 2023 promoting food and drink offers at the venue shows the Signature Living and Alma De Cuba logos alongside each other. The JSM Group were contacted by the ECHO but declined to comment.
A member of staff at Signature Living said any queries should be directed to the venue. Alma De Cuba’s social media pages are active and bookings were still being promoted recently.
Simone told the ECHO on Sunday: “I had to put the word out last minute yesterday to try and get the dancers on, clients and guests, hundreds of people we knew from the events. I had to focus. The dancers are heartbroken that it’s ending like this.
“It’s a real shame. The people we entertained, they would have loved the time to reconnect. People have met there and gone on to get married. There’s a lot of history, even before we were involved. If you said Liverpool, Alma De Cuba would be the first stop you’d go to.
Simone Reeves and Gillian Orrett (front left and right) from Viva Brasil outside Alma De Cuba in 2014 -Credit:Liverpool Echo
“We had amazing memories. To see the old pictures when we first started, to what we deliver now, with outstanding, grand performances, it’s amazing. The celebs that came through – some of them we’re still friends with to this day.
“Sami Hyypia (the former Liverpool FC defender) – one his favourite spots was Alma De Cuba. To this day, we talk and he comes and visits when he’s back over here.”
Simone said she first visited the bar in 2007 when she was planning for the Brazilica Festival, a celebration of Brazilian culture in Liverpool which began a year later.
Simone said: “I went in there for a photoshoot for Brazilica. I looked around and said, we would suit this place. I created this from zero. It was one single idea in my head. I turned to the manager at the time and said, it would be amazing to do this. From there, promoting the carnival is how we created Brazilica for the capital of culture in 2008.
“We never stopped since, every single Friday and Saturday night. We only stopped through lockdown. Even when we were deep in snow in early 2010, we kept it going. We’ve worked with great, loyal staff. We have had many dancers from around the globe. Some of them have become famous.”
Viva Brasil events will continue elsewhere in Liverpool, but Simone said that Alma’s reported closure marks “the end of an era”. She said: “I would like to thank all the customers who have been there.
“We cherish the time we had there, the memories, the parties, the weddings – we will take that with us forever. We hope that one day we will bump into each other again. Now I’m going to suffer in silence for the next two days. Then I can spring into action for the future.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 15:53:00
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