By Jillian Follert
Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” is blasting and hundreds of retro ’80s enthusiasts are making the wooden dance floor at Barrymore’s vibrate under their feet.
Some are decked out in leg warmers, fedoras and bangles while others are content to remember the era while sporting more recent trends.
Everyone is loving the nostalgic music.
Once the lights go up on this cavernous club however, these party-goers don’t have a morning of sleeping in to look forward to.
Many of them have to be at work or school in a few hours because this is all taking place on a Sunday night.
A time previously reserved for family dinners and new episodes of The Simpsons, Sunday night is being reinvented in Ottawa.
Barrymore’s has been hosting Retro ’80s Sundays since May 1999 and the no-cover party has gradually become a local phenomenon.
Johnny Vegas (J.P. MacDonald), also known as DJ J.P., is the entertainment director for the club and can be found spinning everything from Poison to the Beastie Boys on Sunday nights.
“Barrymore’s turned Sunday from a dead night into something pretty huge. People come because they know there’s a big crowd, fun music, and just a really good vibe,” Vegas explains. “Now, other places are realizing the potential for Sundays as well.”
Earlier this month, just down the street, Babylon dubbed Sunday “Not Your Average Karaoke” night, turning their coveted stage into a venue for amateurs to belt out a mix of trendy new songs and fun classics.
The cover-free event is presented in conjunction with Dog and Pony Sound, a unique company known for snapping candid pictures at the karaoke nights they present and posting them on their Web site.
Owner Adam Kronick says more than a hundred people turned out for the first installment and he expects the night will only get bigger as time goes on.
“While going out on a Sunday night is a bit atypical, it’s becoming common because there are great offerings now” explains Kronick.
“Our karaoke night is very different from what Barrymore’s offers and I think it will really add to the mix and bring people to Bank Street.”
In the market, Zaphod Beeblebrox has also risen to the challenge, switching their popular “High Noon” DJ competitions to Sunday nights.
Vegas says these new events are a great addition to the scene and will likely be successful because the market for them is there.
“If you offer something good, the people will come,” Vegas says. “Barrymore’s has been getting up to 900 people on Sundays lately. It’s becoming a monster.”
Barry Needham, 24, says the huge crowd is one of the reasons he never misses a Sunday at Barrymore’s and even asks his work not to schedule him for Monday mornings.
“Sunday is the best night to party in Ottawa and it’s getting better now that more places are offering fun, quirky stuff,” Needham explains while waiting in line along the sidewalk, anxious to get into Barrymore’s on a recent Sunday.
He says the major draw of Sunday night events is that they are a laid back, inexpensive and fun way to ease into Monday.
“It’s not like going out on a Saturday where you have to spend a lot of money and get dressed up,” he says. “It’s just a really good time.”
Sunday night’s growing popularity will likely mean increased business for fast food joints and pubs on Bank Street and in the market but could prove to be a headache for nearby residents who value their sleep.
“For people like me who don’t mind being up late during the week, Sunday is a perfect party night,” Needham says.
“But I have a feeling the people who live near the bars wouldn’t agree.”