Mecca Leisure Group (also known as Mecca Leisure Ltd, Mecca Ltd, and Mecca Dance Ltd) was a British business that ran nightclubs, hotels, theme parks, bingo parlours and Hard Rock Cafes. During the 1960s, Mecca was a centre of entertainment with numerous nightclubs throughout major United Kingdom towns and cities. Mecca ballrooms were used for the BBC TV show Come Dancing. Eric Morley was a general manager of dancing at Mecca Leisure Group and was involved in the Miss World competitions.
Notable DJs performing at Mecca nightclubs include Jimmy Savile from 1960 and Pete Waterman.
The Coventry Locarno is the subject of the Specials song "Friday Night, Saturday Morning", B-side to Ghost Town. Chuck Berry's live version of "My Ding-a-Ling" was also recorded there.
History The Mecca Leisure Group has its origins in the Mecca Agency Limited, a company co-founded by Carl L. Heimann and Byron Davies in 1933 to operate the recently created dance hall chain Mecca Dancing.Nott, James (2015). Going to the Palais: A Social and Cultural History of Dancing and Dance Halls in Britain, 1918-1960. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. . pp. 26-27.
In 1989, the company acquired Pleasurama plc.
In 1990, the Rank Organisation made an offer of £512m to acquire Mecca Leisure Group, which was initially rejected, and then accepted two months later.
Venues
Venue Location Opening Later names Closure Locarno Ballroom Basildon 1961 Blackpool Mecca Blackpool 1965 Locarno Ballroom Burnley 1962 Cat's Whiskers, Ritzy 1996 Mecca Locarno Coventry Ilford Palais London Locarno BallroomEvening Times (March 30, 2015). "Memories: it was strictly for dancing at the Locarno Ballroom in 1962". Evening Times. Retrieved June 26, 2017. Glasgow 1926 Mecca Locarno Ballroom Leeds 1938 1969 Locarno Liverpool 1948 Lyceum Theatre London 1834 Southampton Royal Pier Southampton 1963 1979 Stockport Plaza Stockport 1965 Locarno Ballroom Swindon 1952 1970 Mecca Dance Hall Tottenham London 1910 2004 Hammersmith Palais London 1919 2007 Sherwood Rooms Nottingham 1957 1984 Locarno Bristol 1966 1991
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