On Tuesday, one of Kingston’s largest nightclubs abruptly announced that they would be shutting down until at least January 2022.
The notice by the Ale House and Canteen read “We will be closing Ale House & Canteen for the Holidays. Stay Safe Kingston!” Ale House & Canteen did not provide a specific reason for the closure.
The Wilderness had been scheduled to perform at the location on December 11th, but the show has now been postponed. The news came as a surprise to some on social media, who were still under the impression that the show was still happening.
The closure comes as COVID-19 cases surge in the Kingston area. On Wednesday alone, 101 new cases were reported by KFL&A Public Health. There are currently 429 active cases in the Kingston region.
Just a day after the closure was announced, KFL&A Public Health announced that multiple positive COVID-19 cases had been identified at the Ale House & Canteen.
Nightclubs are also still facing capacity limits due to the surging cases in the province. While many other venues, such as concert halls and sports stadiums have seen their capacity limits lifted, venues such as nightclubs have had to cap their limits at 25% of full capacity.
Local businesses such as Trinity Social and The Ale House in Kingston had been hoping to welcome back partygoers at full capacity as of November 15th. However, the Ontario government extended the restrictions amid increasing COVID-19 cases in the province. At the time, the province said it would monitor the situation for 28 days and review the decision.
On the day the Ale House abruptly shut down, the province once again extended its capacity limits on nightclubs.
With the shutdown of the Ale House & Canteen, few nightclubs remain open for the Holiday season. Stages Nightclub will remain closed until capacity limits are lifted, and Trinity Social Nightclub has shut down for the holiday season, though this year they’ve closed earlier than in past years.
YGK News reached out to the Ale House & Canteen for comment but has not received comment.
