Owners issue emotional statement as Welsh venue announces it is to close

A much-loved Welsh pub and music venue which has been a popular destination for several years has announced it is to close.

In an incredibly moving statement the owners of the North Star in Cardiff say financial pressures have forced them to close.

Announcing their closure on their Facebook page this morning, they wrote:

'This is, without doubt, the hardest post we’ve ever had to write.
We’ve sat around the table more times than we care to count, scribbling plans on napkins, crunching numbers until our eyes went square, and scheming up every mad idea under the sun to try and keep North Star shining.
But sometimes, no matter how much fight you’ve got in you, the world just throws too many punches. Rising costs, endless bills, and the financial squeeze hitting everyone right now have left us with no other choice but to call time. And it genuinely breaks our hearts to even type those words.
So, with very heavy hearts, we’re announcing today (Boxing Day) that North Star will close its doors for the final time on New Year’s Eve.
For years, this little blue-walled pub has been more than just bricks and beer. It’s been Sunday roasts that left you rolling home. Karaoke sessions that started with “one quick song” and ended with someone howling their heart out at 1am. Local bands shaking the floorboards. Quiz teams arguing over answers no one could actually spell. It’s been chaos, community, and pure Cardiff magic, and you lot made it all possible.
And we can’t talk about North Star without talking about our staff. From the bar team pulling pints with a smile, to the kitchen crew grafting through the busiest Sundays, to every glass collector and cleaner who’s kept this place ticking, you’ve been the heartbeat of this pub. We’re endlessly proud of the family that’s grown here, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
We’ve laughed with you. We’ve cried with you. We’ve celebrated birthdays, engagements, graduations, and “just because it’s Tuesday” pints. Every single person who’s ever crossed our threshold has left their mark on this place.
So from the bottom of our beer-soaked, roast-battered, star-shaped hearts: thank you. Thank you for the memories, the support, the singalongs, the patience, and the love you’ve shown North Star over the years.
We don’t quite know what the future holds for this old place, but we do know this: the spirit of North Star will never really die!
One last pint for the road, Cardiff? 🍻✨
Let’s make New Year’s Eve a proper send-off.
Tom & Dave'

Back in September the venue issued a statement about its struggles and explained to customers why it had to raise prices to try to survive.

More than 400 pubs in Wales and England shut down last year amid soaring costs and cautious consumer spending. It meant the total number of pubs in the two countries fell below 39,000 for the first time.