Here’s a milestone for post-pandemic nightlife in New York: Manhattan’s newest nightclub, Nebula, will be bringing the beats to 135 W41st Street from Friday, November 5. The sprawling 11,000 square foot club is also the largest to open in Manhattan so far this year.
Owner Richie Romero (who partnered on the venture with Yang Gao, the co-founder of MIXX Lifestyle Group) has already run a few trial pop-up events at the club over the summer and will host a series of Broadway-style previews in the days leading up to the grand opening, with headliners like GORDO, Purple Disco Machine, Malaa, and Camelphat.
As the New York Post reported in August, the renovation of the space (which fits about 700 people) was a $12 million affair. The finished design spans multiple levels and includes a 5,500 square-foot dance floor and three private rooms with their own bathrooms that could be popular among guests who aren’t quite ready to mingle with larger crowds.
The design features a movable ceiling composed of six video panels, which are able to move and tilt individually or come together, “allowing patrons to dance under anything from a cosmic night sky, to hypnotic, rhythmic pulsing lights,” a press release explains.
Romero told the Post that he remains optimistic even amid continuing pandemic uncertainty and skyrocketing prices. A shortage of Champagne and spirits, for example, have led to increased bottle service prices (and bottle service typically brings in up to 50% of a club’s revenue), while some DJs are charging almost double their typical fees to make up for last year’s losses.
Nevertheless, he believes “people have been cooped up for so long, they are happy to spend.”
