By Khalida Sarwari
Put on your dancing shoes, because downtown Campbell has a new spot to put them to use. Khartoum will offer a DJ and karaoke with the Campbell City Council’s approval of a live entertainment permit.
The council gave unanimous approval at a Sept. 4 meeting for a permit that will allow the bar to host a DJ and karaoke performances Wednesday through Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Khartoum owner Laurie Brigham applied for the permit and, as part of the application process, passed a background check and paid an $866 fee.
Sgt. Joe Cefalu told the council that the police department supported allowing a DJ and karaoke at Khartoum with the stipulation that “if on the nights of live entertainment, a public nuisance is created or there are significant calls for service, the police department would have the authority to prohibit live entertainment from continuing” and revoke the permit.
Councilman Rich Waterman inquired as to whether there have been any issues with live entertainment at other downtown establishments. Cefalu said that while the department does occasionally receive calls concerning live music, Khartoum is unique in that it would be hosting a DJ and karaoke, which is different than a three- to four-piece band.
The area where the DJ will play is an 8-by-5-foot wide space on the ground floor across from the main bar.
The business, located at 300 Orchard City Drive, was incorporated in 1984 in Campbell. It was initially owned by Brigham’s husband, Jeff Brigham, until his death last November. Laurie Brigham subsequently took over operations at Khartoum and Boswell’s, another bar owned by her late husband.
A conditional-use permit allowing live entertainment at Khartoum was adopted and passed in February, but the business still needed to obtain a permit from the police department per city municipal code before allowing live entertainment on site.
