A city centre venue is preparing to take on a 19-hour party with thousands of guests
Dan Witterick is ready for the biggest night of the year(Image: Heaven)
A popular nightlife spot in the city centre is preparing for one of its busiest nights of the year. While different venues across the city experience their own peak times at different days of the year – for example McCooley’s on St. Patrick’s Day or romantic restaurants on Valentine’s Day – Pride is like the Super Bowl for Heaven night club.
The venue operates for a mammoth 19-hour opening period for Pride every year – and to make this possible, the staff are split into early and late shifts from 1pm until 8am the following morning. Pride is intense for all of Liverpool’s Pride Quarter and Heaven, which is one of the city’s busiest venues all year round, well and truly leans into the sense of occasion.
Assistant manager Dan Witterick started at Heaven in 2019 as a bartender, slowly working his way up to become a manager earlier this year. Throughout his time at the club, Dan has seen plenty of wild nights and crazy antics, but nothing matches the intensity of the Pride shift.
Dan told the ECHO: “I started at Heaven when I was freshly 18 so the entire experience was wild for me. I didn’t know anyone just yet and I was getting used a the scene I wasn’t a part of.
The queens at Heaven(Image: Heaven)
“I’ve basically grown up in Heaven, so seeing everything the team does for the community each year – not just during Pride, but in trying to be as inclusive as possible – is incredible. It means so much to be part of that.
“It was good to see the entire community come together.”
Dan told the ECHO he feels that this year’s Pride event has a “point to prove” following the a UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. He said: “We really needed it this year more than ever.”
Dan and the venue’s general manager, Bryan, have the important task of ensuring the shift runs smoothly. It’s not just a matter of making sure the bar is stocked – the team have drag queens, energetic staff members, an outdoor stage with entertainment, and thousands of guests to juggle over the course of their lengthy shifts.
Dan Witterick is ready for the biggest night of the year(Image: Heaven)
Over the Pride weekend, Heaven will host seven DJs and more than 35 entertainers including drag queens, drag kings, voguers, dancers and stilt walkers. The celebrations kick off on Thursday with the Pink Pony Club talent show finale, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Banksie as judge. Friday will see the Big Gay Cabaret takeover with entertainers coming in from all over the UK. At Saturday’s main event, Heaven will host five DJs and 14 entertainers on the main stage.
Despite the gruelling task at hand, the shift isn’t as intimidating as it may seem. Dan said: “It’s mostly excitement because the staff are already a massive family.. You see them having fun, enjoying camp music and everyone having a good time, so it’s more fun than anything.
The Heaven team are told to have as much fun as possible(Image: Heaven)
“The customers are already having a good time which is great but to see it translate to the staff is even better because it makes the shift a lot easier. It becomes less of a job. The staff don’t get to have the actual Pride experience of being out on the street and celebrating so there’s definitely more lenience to have as much fun as possible on shift.”
Customers could use many words to describe Heaven – but boring and or ‘lacking identity’ are not some of them. No matter what time of night or year you visit you’re sure to witness colourful characters, extravagant costumes, or simply a few outlandish outfits parading the venue. Pride is another occasion for the team to go as big as possible with their looks.
Dan said: “I initially felt anxious to dress a certain way on Pride but when you’re there with similar people you just have fun with it. No one cares. There was a Pride I wore a PVC harness shirt and face paint because I wanted to and literally no one cared. If there’s any shift you can look and wear what you want it’s Pride.”
Heaven queens representing the Protect Scouse Dolls attire(Image: Heaven)
The transition from supervisor to manager brings a drastic change in responsibilities, and Dan is preparing to lead the busiest night of the year for the first time. He added: “When I was on the bar, it was easy in the sense you’ve been doing it every day for years, so you knew what to expect.
“This year everything is my responsibility. This is our Super Bowl or WrestleMania so everything has to be perfect. I’m equally excited and nervous but it’ll be fun.”
When the call for last orders rings in at 7am, the team breathes a collective sigh of relief, proud and knackered after completing another 19-hour shift. He added: “There’s a feeling of relief because everyone is tired but there’s a sense of accomplishment after it’s done.
“As soon as we stop we’re all laughing at the fact we made it no matter how tired we were before. You get a sudden rush of adrenaline. This is our biggest night of the year.”
Sahir has stepped in to help facilitate and coordinate the community-led Pride. However, with only a few weeks’ notice, the charity has created a GoFundMe to help with the costs. The target is £60,000 to deliver the celebrations, with any surplus of the funds raised being used to protect the life-changing work Sahir does all year round. You can donate here.