Barracuda Lounge, NYC Nightlife Hotspot, Closes Doors After 30 Years

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Barracuda Lounge, beloved Chelsea gay bar and drag performance space, will close its doors on March 23 after 30 years of operation. The legendary venue is home to Star Search, the longest-running drag competition in New York City. Owner Bob Pontarelli shared the below statement:

Dear Friends,

Thirty years is a very long time.

In the past few months, a major demolition of the buildings surrounding Barracuda was undertaken. This included the movie theater that shares our entire East wall and apartments on 23rd street that share our stage. This demolition is the first step of a huge condo project. The damage from the construction has significantly affected the interior and overall operation of the bar.

The next step will be the drilling of the bedrock in order to begin tower construction. There is no way to anticipate the additional damage and risks that could arise in the future. It is impossible to conduct business as usual.

30 years ago, the late Stephen Heighton and I opened Barracuda. Stephen was a business partner, a “brother”, an inspiration, and a force of nature. We never, in our wildest dreams, could have imagined the success Barracuda would become; a success measured not financially, but primarily by it’s place in the community, the lives it touched and the impact on the culture of LGBTQ+ nightlife.

It was at our 25th anniversary party, where it became clear to me that Barracuda meant so much to so many: the place they snuck in to have their first gay bar experience, where they met their boyfriend or husband, or made an indelible memory of one outrageous night or another.

In the early 90s, “gay bars” were primarily “stand and meet” places. In 1995 Barracuda was very different as it introduced a funky living- room environment created mostly from furniture we picked up at flea markets…thus inventing the ‘gay lounge’ bar.

Fueled by the success of our first bar, Crowbar, in the East Village, Barracuda also launched a brand new concept of nightly drag entertainment— and hosted the original weekly drag competition, Star Search, headlined by the great, late Mona Foot. The much copied “Star Search” still runs today.

Barracuda was the home to countless drag icons and introduced many of them for the first time. Huge careers were born on that tiny stage..

It was the home to such artists as, Candace Cayne, Sherry Vine, Lina, Jackie Beat, Shequida, Flotilla de Barge, PepperMint, Sweetie, Shasta Cola, Honey Dijon, Hedda Lettuce and so many others. Years later the tradition continued with Bob, Monet Exchange, Bianca Del Rio, Pixie, Dallas, Miz Cracker, Tina Burner. etc etc …. Unfortunately leaving the too many great artists out here for lack of space.

Over the years, Barracuda broke new ground by hosting a vast list of in-person celebrities like Jennifer Coolidge, Tonya Harding, Tammy Faye Baker, Eartha Kit, Bebe Neurwirth, Thelma Houston, Helen Mirren, Rue McClanahan, Delta Burke, Christina Applegate, Joan Jet, the Jackass Boys, Charo, on and on….that would secure it a definitive place in nightlife history.

This somewhat accidental recipe for success would later be adopted by LGBTQ+ bars throughout New York and around the world.

Now, with the impact of the construction and the structural effects, I have had to make a heartbreaking decision.

Sadly, after 30 years, Barracuda will close its doors on Sunday, March 23.

It is with the most profound gratitude that I thank all of the performers, managers, bartenders, DJs, coatchecks, bar backs, and the literally hundreds of thousands of guests that have come through our doors and partied with us. It has been a true joy.

Words will never be able to express what these past 30 years have meant to me and I know, if my dearest friend and 'brother' Stephen Heighton was still with us he would feel exactly the same.

Thank you. Thank you.

It’s 4AM somewhere….good night and stay safe.

Bob Pontarelli