Bo’s Bar and Stage turns into Nashville Night dance club on Wednesdays

“It’s part of the culture and growing up experience and I think it’s important to have a space that’s a little bit more monitored, safe and regulated,” said McPherson.

Wing night at Bo’s will remain on the menu starting at 4 p.m., but as of 10 p.m., half of the restaurant will turn into a dance floor for a high energy nightclub setting. The other half will be for restaurant table seating.

Apart from a live DJ playing a variety of genres from country to pop, McPherson said there will be drink specials for college students. Tonight’s music will be mixed by DJ Anthem.

While Longriders’ famous “Wild Wet Wednesday” t-shirt contests won’t be carried forward, McPherson says the restaurant has some themed club nights in place for several weekends. With their March 11 event already sold out, their “Back to the Heavyweight Jam – All 90s Dance Party” will also be taking place on April 14, inspired by a popular Calgary event. There will also be a “Club Tropics” spring disco on March 18.

“We are not a nightclub, but feel it is important to curate some unique nights to help those who want to get out and dance have a home to get on the dancefloor and get sweaty. I hope to see a nightclub open up again in the near future. I think it is important to have spaces where people can connect, dance and have fun,” said Brennen Wowk, owner of Bo’s and President of the Alberta Hospitality Association.

Following the closure of Red Deer’s last nightclubs, word on social media spread in January about an apparent nightclub named “Neon Lights Country Bar” that would be opening in the city in February 2023. The Instagram page reached over 1,400 followers and the creators of the page said they had secured a location after talks with the City of Red Deer as well as Red Deer County.

rdnewsNOW reached out to the creators who said on January 18 that they were withholding the information about their location. However, Neon Lights did not respond to a follow-up email sent on February 16.

The City confirmed that as of February 22, there have been no applications received for development, building or business licensing for a nightclub-related business; only inquiries.

Wowk said while he saw the posting for the Neon Lights nightclub, he welcomes any club wishing to open in the city and acknowledges the difficulties in establishing a related business.

“The challenge most nightclubs face in Alberta are heightened insurance rates as a result of the global market and overall inflated operating costs. It is extremely hard to get approval for insurance for these types of businesses and if an operator can, it is generally at outrageous costs,” he said.

“Red Deer is a great city and we need spaces where people can go and have fun.”

Nashville Nights at Bo’s and their wing special will be happening every Wednesday at Bo’s until closing, which is around 1 or 2 a.m., bar officials say.

by Alessia Proietti

Bo’s Bar and Stage turns into Nashville Night dance club on Wednesdays

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