COLCHESTER'S newest town centre lounge and cocktail bar has opened to revellers for the first time.
The Bubble Lounge, in Crouch Street, opened its doors for the first time on Friday.
Open from 5pm each evening, the venue has indoor sofa seating and a large outside terrace where residents can enjoy cocktails and other beverages from the extensive drinks menu.
On the dancefloor, DJs will spin residents' favourite 90s and early 00s tracks as well as the very best from today.
The man behind the plans is events manager and radio DJ Jeremy Durrant, who also owns nearby retro-themed Rubix nightclub.
Mr Durrant, 47, said: "A lot of people had read about us opening and decided to come along.
"It was busy and we had a very positive response.
"The feedback was really refreshing and people seemed to like it.
"A lot of people said they were excited to hear their 90s and 00s favourites from when they were growing up.
"People loved the outside are as well, which I think is particularly popular whilst we are still dealing with Covid."
The venue is offering "party-passes" in conjunction with its nearby sister venue Rubix, which proved very popular with revellers over the opening weekend.
Mr Durrant said: "We saw a lot of our regulars come back to Rubix at the weekend.
"Lots of people were using the party pass to go between the venues and check out The Bubble Lounge."
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Covid safety measures remain in place at The Bubble Lounge, with hand sanitiser stations in place to ensure revellers are welcomed back to the town centre safely.
Mr Durrant said: "We are still carrying on with the safety measures we've had in place.
"People appear to be starting to venture out more now.
"There were a lot of people who had not been out for 18 months and it was nice to see people were feeling safe enough to do so.
"It was a busy start and it is now about building things up through word of mouth."
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