Published
Thu, May 21, 2020, 04:55
- "The Stud, the nightlife entity, is not dead. We're still going to come back when this is over—a different space with the same lovingly outrageous vibe."
San Francisco gay bar The Stud is closing at its current location due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The SoMA gay bar, whose intimate dance floor continued to play a crucial role in San Francisco's underground dance music community, is closing after 54 years in business. There will be an online-only drag funeral held on May 31st, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Stud will hold a press conference on Thursday, May 21st, running over the details of the closing of its 399 9th St. location.
After being threatened with closure due to increasing rent prices, a group of 18 friends purchased the bar in 2016, making it the first worker-owned cooperative nightclub in the US. "The Stud is where it's happening right now," the DJ Carlos Souffront said in our 2018 feature on the Bay Area scene. "The Wednesday night, Kosmetik, that's the shit... It's important that people support The Stud right now..."
A post by part-owner Marke Bieschke on 48 Hills says that "The Stud, the nightlife entity, is not dead. We're still going to come back when this is over—a different space with the same lovingly outrageous vibe."
Sylvester, Björk, Lady Miss Kier, RuPaul and thousands of other entertainers have graced The Stud's stage over its storied run.
This piece was last updated on May 21st, 5:57 AM BST.