Photo: Volar

At the top of its heyday, Volar tucked away in the basement of the Ho Lee Commercial Building in Hong Kong Central was the place to go to start the night. Over the past 17 years, many top DJs and artists from all sorts of genres including electro, techno, R&B, dubstep, and hip hop have graced the decks. 

Volar has announced that they will be permanently closing their doors after more than 200 days of closure during the COVID-19 pandemic, following fellow nightlife institutions Drop and Employees Only that shuttered their doors.

The Hong Kong nightclub was known for their post-modern LED lit visuals and dual room concepts, an underground maze with urban beats and electro tunes as you explore different music genres with a few bars in between. The industrial-chic disco draws the crowd with its star-studded roster of international artists and their inhouse DJs. Here’s just some of who made our shortlist: LCD Soundsystem, Pete Tong, Soulja Boy, Boris, Major Lazer, Ed Banger, Diplo, Richie Hawtin, Cashmere Cat, David Hohme, Designer Drugs, DJ Hype, Bookashade, Tube & Berger, A-Track, DJ Yoda, Steve Aoki, Ed Banger…the list goes on!

Claptone at volar 2017
 

Besides big names, Volar was also known for giving unique names and live bands like Henry Saiz & Band a place to perform. "They could have easily focused on only bringing over the sure thing that would guarantee a full house so I will always respect that," resident and Disco Step Child member, Drafus Chow shares with Mixmag Asia.

But hold on to your tears as the party doesn’t stop yet. Buzz Concepts, the group that owned and operated the club are working on a new concept due to open shortly. Meet Faye, a combination of Fly and Volar, will take over the two top floors of California Tower a couple of blocks down. The space is where CE LA VI used to be, which closed down late in 2019 due to the Hong Kong protests.

While they haven’t announced a set opening date yet because COVID, it’s something for fans to look forward to as they reminisce their nights at one of Hong Kong’s most beloved clubs.

As of today, nightclubs and bars in Hong Kong still aren’t allowed to reopen after the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.