Electrifying Nights at The Closet Bar
The Closet Bar was launched in 1978 by 2 lesbians, Rose and Judi. The lesbian-operated and owned establishment was originally introduced as a place where women could proudly drink and be themselves, but later became a popular option for gay men as well. Nonetheless, The Closet is still a women-dominated bar today.
The small gay bar features a full-size bar decorated with Christmas lights, black vinyl high back bar stools near the wall, and an open spot for karaoke or dancing, depending on the night. Some of the walls feature pictures reminiscent of the bar’s heydays. Recently, during an event dubbed, “cutest pet contest” one of the walls at The Closet Bar was covered with delightful black and white photos of patrons’ pets. While you might at one time or another lack something to do at the bar, you will never run out of things to look at.
Thursday night karaoke takes place between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. and often attracts large crowds eager to take the turn to rock the mic. Karaoke nights at The Closet Bar are usually fun for the singers as well as the audience. However, since the space is a little small, it might become a little loud when, say, the “not-so-talented” singers are on stage. Often, The Closet Bar will host themed karaoke nights where participants play along with songs from a particular genre. Depending on the season, Bingo might also make an occasional appearance. Music open night is held on Tuesday nights starting from 7 pm where anything goes. Women and men of all ages take turns expressing themselves in musicals of their choice. The Closet Bar was once fortunate enough to host a slightly intoxicated man singing to Rubber Ducky.
During the summer months, The Closet Bar in Chicago is a popular hangout joint for softball players. The bar offers the perfect environment for Sunday softball girls to interact with the Bloody Mary boys while enjoying a spectacular view of Broadway outside the large windows. The Closet Bar in Chicago is a place where a sing-along and dance develops within minutes like a wave through the bar. When you visit The Closet during the summer months you never know what might happen.
During this time, the bar can get very busy and wild and generally becomes a lesbians pick-up joint. You can easily tell if it’s that time of the year when you make your way into the establishment and as if cueing, notice that most of the women at the bar are checking you out as if to see whether you are worth getting up from the bar from.
As a rule of thumb, you want to avoid using the unisex bathroom during busy nights. It is not uncommon for couples to leave some things behind after their extra-curricular activities. It’s also important to note that this does not tend to take place until the early morning hours when the bar is so packed that you might wet your pants trying to get to the restrooms. Since the popular Boystown bar has a late-night license, the restroom shenanigans often go on until 4 am on weekdays and 5 am on Saturdays.