Vico's
Vico's
Vico's (Sometimes known as the Brunswick Club) was a nightclub, pizza resturant and music venue located in Belfast, Northern Ireland.[[1]](https://minutes3.belfastcity.gov.uk/documents/s21492/Vicos Map.pdf)
History
The club opened in the late 1980s as a rock club[2] but by the 1990s had switched to cater for Belfast's emerging dance music scene. From the late nineties to the early noughties it became noteable in Belfast club culture for it's inclusive atmosphere, eclectic mix of music and clientele and relaxed attitude to open drug use[3][4]
Controversy
To circumvent local licencing laws free pizzas were often handed out to patrons ostensibly to maintain the appearance of a resturant.[3] For this reason the venue was frequently raided by the police and the owners fined[5][4]. In 2000 22 year old Maria McConnell was last seen leaving the club on CCTV footage prior to her murder at a nearby house. [6]
Vicoโs closed in 2005 after finally having it's licence revoked by Belfast City Council[[7]](https://minutes3.belfastcity.gov.uk/documents/s21490/Vicos Grant Report Jan 081.pdf) and the building now houses the James Street South resturant[8]