“To every person who has ever walked through the doors, thank you. To our loyal regulars who became a second family, thank you – this place would never have been what it was without you.
“And to all of our staff, past and present, thank you for the countless late nights, hard work, energy and passion you brought to the venue. Red Square was only ever as special as the people behind it.”
The nightclub said it will be “opening its doors for the last time” on May 30.
“Please join us as we party and celebrate at Red Square, one last time. Here’s to 23 legendary years of Red Square.”
Red Square’s announcement received an outpouring of support and disappointment from its patrons, with many expressing “heartbreak” and reminiscing about past memories at the nightclub.
Last week, Roger Young and Potti Williams, the owners of Cuban-themed Havana Bar and Restaurant, told One Roof they had decided to call it quits after 35 years in hospitality. For years, Havana has been a favourite late-night haunt for Wellingtonians and visiting movie stars alike.
Young, known in the city as the “mayor of Cuba Street”, said it was time for a reset.
“We’ve done our dues for Wellington hospitality. We’ve been in the game for 35 years and I’d just really like to sail off in the sunset and do something else,” he said.
It comes after a difficult few years for businesses in Wellington’s CBD, with popular streets like Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place littered with empty shop fronts.
According to Stats NZ, the number of active companies in the capital has been shrinking over the past two years.
From March 2024 to March 2026, a net 1581 companies vanished from the Wellington region.
Only Gisborne (24) and Marlborough (78) also saw a net decrease in active companies in the same two-year period out of all the regions tracked by Stats NZ.
