Cruz 101

Cruz 101 (better known simply as Cruz) is a nightclub and music venue situated in Manchester's Gay Village which is centred on Canal Street, England. It is one of the most popular and longest-running gay clubs in Greater Manchester, often boasting itself as Manchester's Favourite Gay Venue.

Before it was turned into a night club, Cruz 101 was a shipping warehouse of which contributed to Manchester's huge textiles industry and making the area the worlds largest marketplace for cotton goods. After some time derelict, a renovation process began lasting up to a year after which point the club was ready to open its doors for the first time on 22 May 1992. Cruz shares the building with offices which occupy the floors above and a smaller club to the rear called Satans Hollow.

When Cruz first opened, the licensing laws at the time insisted that membership was compulsory and punters had to wait up to 48 hours for membership to be cleared. The club owners followed up a lengthy legal battle at the high court encouraged by increased pressure from customers meant that the club was allowed to offer membership on the door, therefore eliminating the need to have a pending period before membership can be authorised. Whilst initially this legality only entitled Cruz 101 to allow membership on the door, it ultimately set a precedent in allowing other night clubs in the United Kingdom to have this right. The new flexible membership options available at Cruz proved to be both a benefit and somewhat of a hindrance to the club owners and its regular clientele. Before the court battle the club found itself restricted by license conditions that other clubs need not meet, however, it was the strict membership policy which made customers feel the club was one of the few true safe gay venues in the area.

In 1999 the exterior lighting and signage of the club was changed from "Cruz 101" to Babylon as a backdrop for scenes of the UK series of Queer As Folk. Following the completion of filming, the original name and signage was returned.

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