The classic Cleethorpes night out will be back in March with some original DJs and singers who performed at the Winter Gardens
11:41, 15 Jan 2026
A legendary night out is set to return for a one-off event. Melody Night, commonly known as Bags Ball, which ran every week at Cleethorpes' Winter Gardens for decades until its closure in 2007, will be revived at Grimsby's Docks Academy in March.
DJs and singers who performed at the original Bags Ball, including Steve Knight, Steve Rusling, Mash Baxter and Rachel Day, will entertain at the reunion event. DJ Steve Knight, who first performed at the original Bags Ball in 1999 and was present at the final event, has promised to play tracks such as D-Ream's Things Can Only Get Better and DJ Alligator's Blow Your Whistle.
He said: "I started doing it in 1999 until it finished. I remember the last one very well, alot of the old staff turned up. I thought I'd do the reunion gig at Docks to get away from having to be a grown up!"
Meanwhile, DJ Steve Rusling plans to play tracks like Paul Van Dyke's Found An Angel and Sophie Ellis Bextor's Murder On The Dancefloor. He said: "I have many fond memories of the Winter Gardens from Bags Ball and where my journey as a DJ started, working alongside Steve Knight learning how to play to the crowd, through to Mr Jackson [owner] and Alan Cheetham the manager at the time."
Mash Baxter, who was the lead singer of Grimsby band Invitations with Warren Jolly, Dave Cooke and Pat McCarthy, will also be returning to the stage. He played The Winter Gardens from 1992 to mid-1994, and then performed as a solo artist from 1994 through to 1997. Rachel Day, who entertained regularly at The Ball from 1999 to 2003 before forming the band Crazy Days, will also be performing.
Known for filling the dance floor with classics from Abba, Queen and Cher, Rachel's performances are still as popular today.
Mash and Rachel expressed their excitement about the event, saying: "We are very proud to be asked to perform at this event. We promise you a dance floor packed, fun filled trip back down memory lane with hit after hit of your favourite tunes to get down to."
The Bags Ball Reunion is set to take place on Friday, March 20, starting at 7pm. It follows Docks Beers' release of a wheat beer called Bags Ball at the end of last year.
Paul Savage, managing director at Docks Beers, said: "Our Bags Ball beer was a nostalgic tribute to a wonderful piece of the region's cultural history. We had so many people suggest we bring the Bags Ball back, so we reached out to some of the DJs who performed at the Winter Gardens and here we are."
He added: "Although the original event was hosted on a Wednesday night, times have changed and we thought a Friday would be more appropriate. The fun will start at 7pm and it's a one night only event we hope will bring back lots of great memories of the Bags Ball all those years ago."
Tickets for the Bags Ball Reunion at Docks Academy, in King Edward Street, Grimsby, are now available, priced at £9 plus booking fees, from www.docksacademy.com