Will Bognor Regis become the go-to destination for revellers?

Crawford Winkworth is the marketing, PR and events manager at Sheiks nightclub, on Bognor pier.

He said the seaside town was a hive of activity at the weekends, buzzing with the crowds who have chosen Bognor over further-afield destinations such as Brighton and Portsmouth.

This comes after The Vestry bar in Chichester was placed under ‘police probation’ with tighter licensing guidelines

Crawford added the town was becoming a ‘really resurgent scene again’.

“Bognor is having a new lease of life,” he told the Observer.

He said people were flocking to Sheiks, which can now see up to 2,500 people passing through its doors every weekend – with 1,500 people on a Saturday night alone.

Following the closure of Thursdays, Sheiks nightclub –which held its much-anticipated relaunch earlier this month – put on a bus service every Friday and Saturday night for people across Chichester.

The night spot had been called ‘Vision’ for a number of years, but it has now reopened under its former guise.

“There does seem to be a bit of a change in Chichester and Bognor,” added Crawford.

“Bognor’s pubs, clubs and bars are having a really good time of it at the moment.

“The pubs and bars are getting busier earlier in the evening, and there is a different clientele coming over here.”

The eating, drinking and dancing venues on Bognor’s pier have all undergone a major facelift in recent months, including Legends Bar which is part of the same complex 
as Sheiks.

Legends houses the all-new cocktail bar Silk and completely revamped main club room.

“People come over and have a really good clubbing experience, booking our VIP packages and spending the whole evening 
here rather than just the end of the night.

“And the bus service has been really busy.

“There is never any trouble.

“I don’t know if it’s a 
feeling or a whisper, but it does seem Chichester is not 
as popular at night, while 
Bognor seems to be getting better.”

Legends Bar, which Crawford describes as a ‘pre-club bar’, is open every day.

From mid-September, Sheiks will be open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Crawford said: “Bars like Trents in Chichester ask us for the bus service fliers –everyone has been really good in Chichester, really switched on.”

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