As the year draws to a close, we thought what better time to put together a round up of everything that’s happened at The Jazz Café.
Virtual Quizzes & DJ Nights
The start of 2021 was not exactly what anyone was hoping for. We were stuck in a national lockdown and The Jazz Café was still closed. For some light entertainment, we organised weekly Thursday quiz nights which were hosted on Facebook Live. Our lovely quiz mistress Tasha wrote 4 different rounds each week and gave the viewers the very honest task of marking their own answers! It was a lot of fun to see the competition grow between regular quizzers and with Reading FC and jazz music rounds, it was the perfect way to create an online community of Jazz Café customers.
And for those that fancied a boogie on a Friday night in their front room, DJ Knight was on hand with all your favourite hits and old school classics. Each week, DJ Knight played a new set and took requests via the Facebook Live. It certainly gave us something to look forward to as the months of lockdown and restrictions went on.
A Spectacular Re-Opening
In July 2021, after approximately a year of being shut, The Jazz Café reopened its doors and what a feeling that was! When we could host events of up to 30 people, it was just fantastic to start to see events and private hires coming back to the venue after such a long period of closure and uncertainty.
A number of our staff commented on how exciting it was to come back to work after their time off and couldn’t wait to get back behind the bar to serve you all once again.
We were very fortunate to host a number of wedding receptions and private events as the restrictions eventually began to lift and people grew more confident in indoor spaces with other people again.
Match Days
Football fans were welcomed back to The Jazz Café when the season started in August 2021. In the beginning, we requested pre-bookings as some restrictions were still in place, but by September/October time, it felt like life was getting back to normal.
With no need to pre-book, Reading FC fans began making their way back to us before the match to meet their fellow supporters and grab a pint before the big game. To have The Jazz Café open again for football fans was an incredible feeling – the atmosphere on match days especially when the home side is winning is second to none!
Time to Party this Festive Season
Fast forward to the end of November, and it was time to put up the Christmas tree and welcome our regular bands back to the stage!
With 8 Christmas Joiner Parties each with their own live band, it’s been a busy but fun-filled season with packed dancefloors each night. Each band has their own sound ranging from soul and Motown to rock so when it comes to our parties, there’s definitely something for everyone. At each party, there’s the option to upgrade your ticket to include a 3-course festive meal and unsurprisingly these were the first tickets to sell out with everyone enjoying a roast dinner followed by Christmas pudding.
We’ve got one last party to go in January which we’re treating as a post-Christmas party. It’s the ideal solution for anyone that was unable to celebrate before Christmas.
Into The Future
2021 has been a year of ups and downs, but as we look to 2022, we can’t wait to continue to host private events, wedding receptions and plenty more live music evenings! We’re looking forward to continuing match days and hopefully watching Reading FC win many more games before the season is out!
If you’re searching for a venue for your next event, please get in touch. You can email us at office@thejazzcafe.co.uk or give us a call on 01189 681 442.
