According to data analysed by hospitality-focused software companies Stampede and StoreKit, the UK could soon be left with just 5,000 nightclubs. 

The figures point to a continuation of a now decade-long trend of club closures, and — worryingly — do not take into consideration the as-yet-unknown fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns. 

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that the country’s clubs will remain closed until at least 24th January, in an attempt to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

Yesterday’s announcement confirmed that restrictions on large outdoor events would be lifted from Monday, while restrictions on indoor venues will remain in place for at least another week after that date.

A British DJ has avoided prosecution after triggering New Zealand's first Omicron scare.

Drum & bass DJ Dimension, aka Robert Etheridge, arrived in the country on 16th December. He spent seven days in quarantine before breaking home isolation rules before receiving a negative day-nine test. Etheridge later tested positive for Omicron - thought to be the first community exposure of the highly contagious variant in the country - before canceling a slot at Rhythm & Alps festival on South Island resort Wānaka.

France has announced tighter COVID-19 restrictions amid an ongoing surge in cases of the Omicron variant in the country.

Under new measures, nightclubs will remain closed until further notice, having initially been closed for four weeks earlier this month. Outdoor public gatherings of more than 5,000 people are also banned in the nation until further notice. Indoor seated gatherings will be limited to 2,000 people.

A group of Berlin clubs and promoters have come together to launch legal proceedings against the city's latest indoor dancing ban.

The group of 11 clubs and promoters, which includes KitKatClub, Matrix, Club OST, Der Weiße Hase, among others, as well as DJ Paul van Dyk, submitted an appeal against the ban to Berlin's administrative court last week, with support from lawyer Niko Härting.

Mike Skinner has revealed that all of The Streets' gigs for 2022 have been cancelled.

Having returned to playing live over the summer, amid the release of the single 'Who's Got The Bag', Skinner said that any plans to continue to perform live into the new year would no longer go ahead, following "the worst week of the worst year" of his life.

The Music Venue Trust has called for "decisive and immediate action" from the UK Government following reports that renewed concerns around COVID-19 are causing drastic declines in audience numbers at music events.

Tbilisi nightclub KHIDI has been closed by the Georgian authorities, according to a statement shared by the venue.

The statement said that KHIDI was ordered to close on 5th December after hosting its first club night in 21 months, following COVID-19-related shutdowns, last Friday, 3rd December.

Finland's prime minister has apologised for clubbing despite being exposed to Covid-19.

Sanna Marin came under widespread criticism after a Finnish gossip magazine published photos of her dancing at a Helsinki nightclub until 4AM last week (Saturday, 4th December). It happened only hours after it was reported that she was in contact with Finnish foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, who had tested positive for the virus.