Empire / Leisure Plaza
The Leisure Plaza in Milton Keynes became the main venue for big raves in the area after the Sanctuary closed. The complex itself opened in 1990 and included the Empire nightclub (previously Flamingo’s), a bowling alley, ice rink and other units. It was right next to the train station, which made it easy for people travelling in from elsewhere.
On 11th September 2004 Helter Skelter held Energy 04 there — an 8-arena indoor dance festival with a free funfair and a capacity of around 6,000. Later that year, on New Year’s Eve 2004/5, HTID held Event 5 at the same complex, using the Empire, the bowling alley, the ice rink (they drained the ice) and other rooms. Other one-off events were also held at the Plaza around that time.
There’s rumours that the New Year’s Eve event was disrupted early when the council turned up with the police and forced the owners to turn the volume down. Were you there? Do you remember this happening, or was it a different event at the Plaza? Drop a message on the board if you have any pics or info about this venue.
The nights
The Empire had a main room and a smaller, hotter Spice Room that played garage and other stuff. For the big one-off events like Energy 04 the whole complex was opened up into multiple arenas under one roof. People who went remember it as a proper massive night — loud, packed and full of energy.
What happened to it
The regular club nights at the Empire ended around 2004–2005. The complex was still used for big one-off events after the Sanctuary closed, including Energy 04 in September 2004. The building was later demolished and a Morrisons supermarket now stands on the site. The wider Leisure Plaza complex has also been redeveloped over the years.