Yellowknife (Jan 12/05) - Without rhyme or reason, the wrap up of the holiday season in Yellowknife went off without a bang.

Generally one of the busiest nights of the year for clubs and bars, the city saw few line-ups and plenty of empty tables New Year's Eve.

Luke (left) and Quintin Wood, owners of the Polar Bowl, have some empty pockets to fill after a slow New Year's Eve. Generally a busy night for bars, Yellowknifers seem to have stayed away this year. - Chris Hunsley/NNSL photo

"There weren't actually that many people here," said Luke Wood, who along with his brother Quintin owns the Polar Bowl.

"The town was kind of dead in general."

Around town the story seems the same.

"It wasn't as good as other years," said Dave Hurley, manager of the Elks Club, where 35-40 revellers rang in the New Year.

"It could be because of any number of reasons," he said, speculating that business was slow because of the cold weather and that many of the club's regulars were vacationing in the south.

"Whatever happened, normally it doesn't happen like this."

High cover charges and the smoking ban were other reasons cited by bar owners for the lack of patronage.

"Maybe people are just tired of kissing people they don't know at the end of the night," joked Wood.

While you could hear a pin drop on some of the city's dance floors, upscale eateries were filled to capacity.

"We couldn't get any busier next year," said Sato Chankasingh, chef/owner of Our Place Restaurant.

That's where 22-year-old Christy Atkins spent her New Year's Eve - before she retired to a warm bath, that is.

The Aurora College student said bars were not enticing this year and the prices were too high, with some cover charges upwards of $50.

"Nobody did anything," she said of the entertainment offered.

"Make me want to go," she challenged bar owners after the fact.

The evening's one exception seems to have been Hot Shots.

The new club went in search of business to ring in its first New Year.

"Our ticket sales were just to cover costs. It wasn't to make money," said owner Penny McHugh.

"We were sold out 11 days after we put our tickets on sale." The sports bar offered patrons a steak and lobster dinner with champagne and a free ride home at midnight. The cost: $40 per person.

"We made $6,000. That's a good night," McHugh said.

Yellowknife taxi drivers also noticed a decrease in business, said Nelson Muchekeni, manager of City Cabs.

"The guys are complaining business was lower than the past years."

Muchekeni suggested it could be due to more cabs on the road now, but whatever the reason, Yellowknife was not a hopping spot when the New Year rang in.