Over the weekend, rumors emerged on social media that Stadium — the now-shuttered Jakarta nightclub that was once infamous throughout the region as a ecstasy-fueled den of debauchery — had managed to reopen under a new name as 108 The New Atmosphere.
The management of the new club issued a press release clarifying that they were not Stadium reborn and that their venue was located at a different address that just happened to be right next to the old Stadium’s location.
https://www.facebook.com/108thenewatmosphere/posts/664395710566325
That being said, it is obvious from the club’s promotional materials that even if the club isn’t actually a reopened Stadium, it is definitely associated with Stadium — the words “Stadium Productions” and the Stadium group logo appear clearly at the top of this poster for the club’s soft opening, which was yesterday.
Also not mentioned in the press release is the fact that 108 The New Atmosphere is actually located in the same venue previously known as Illigals.
Yes, for those of you who are unaware of the ridiculousness of Jakarta’s nightlife scene, there was actually a nightclub (slash spa and hotel — as many nightlife complexes here in Jakarta are officially classified as legal cover for their prostitution services) brazenly named Illigals, that was not only located in one of the shadiest areas of Jakarta but also was reputedly something of a Stadium-lite debauchery den. Last year, officers from the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) arrested two drug dealers with large supplies of ecstasy in the club.
Yesterday, officers from Jakarta’s Civil Service Police (Satpol PP) decided to drop by the renamed Illigals for 108 The New Atmosphere soft openting to make sure that the club was operating legally in light of the rumors about its connection to Stadium.
“We ensure the public that the management of (the club) has the right to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Jakarta Provincial Government. There are no violations of the regulations as there is no prostitution, drugs or gambling,” said Jakarta Satpol PP head Yani Wahyu today as quoted by Kompas.
Yani said that the venue had all the correct permits for the various businesses located inside its complex, including those for the karaoke, bar and spa. He also confirmed that it was not a reopened Stadium and that the venue that once held Stadium remained closed and unoccupied.
Long considered a nightlife institution throughout the whole region, Stadium was forced to shut down in 2014 by former Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja after a police officer was found to have overdosed inside the club. He later denied an application for the nightclub to be reopened under a different name as “The Legend”.
Current Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has shuttered several more of Jakarta’s most notorious nightlife spots, including the Alexis Hotel and Exotic, aided by new regulations giving the government the ability to immediately shut down nightclubs for drug or prostitution violations based on “evidence” gathered by authorities, the media or even the public. However, a few clubs that had been given a single warning for narcotics under the government’s previous two-strike policy, such as Illigals, remain open despite recommendations from BNN they be shut down.
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