How daytime discos are helping a 65-year-old nightclub survive

It’s the middle of the afternoon but the queue of people outside Acapulco nightclub in Halifax are dressed for a night out.

Sparkly cowboy hats, high heels and best shirts are donned; toes are already tapping to the sound of the music leaking out from the doors of the venue.

They are here for the club’s monthly over-30s day disco, which starts at 15:30 BST and finishes by 20:00.

“It’s like being out at nighttime, but it’s in the day,” clubber Pamela Horsfall, 63, enthuses.

“Why wouldn’t you want to come back? Everyone is friendly and we still go home early.”

For generations in Halifax, a trip to Acapulco, or “the Mighty Acca”, has been a rite of passage on the town’s nightlife scene.

Known for 75p drinks and its famous swirly-patterned, sticky carpets – pieces of which were auctioned off for £50 to raise charity funds in 2022 – in some ways the venue is a time capsule to its early days.

Opened in 1961 by Ted Turczak, Acca is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year.

It pre-dates the first moon landings and the building of the nearby M62, according to current owner Simon Jackson.

But what has kept the doors open and music pumping for decades?