AVONDALE — Popular late-night bar and dance club Late Bar is making a comeback this weekend.
After a two-year pandemic closure that some feared would become permanent, the Avondale bar, 3534 W. Belmont Ave., is reopening Saturday with a DJ set from Planet Earth Chicago and Dave Roberts, according to a Monday Facebook post.
“Look’s like the (Stray) Cat’s out of the bag… We are happy to announce that after nearly 2 years being shuttered, Late Bar will be opening it’s doors to the public again THIS Saturday (2/19) at 8pm for Planet Earth Chicago with our very own Dave Roberts,” the post reads.
“We are excited to see you soon, and want to thank everyone that has held hope & supported us in any way during these strange times.”
Late Bar is a dive known for New Wave music video dance parties that go to 4 or 5 a.m. The bar shut down at the start of the pandemic when officials closed all bars and restaurants to stop the spread of COVID-19.
In a Facebook post in March 2020, the bar’s owner said, “The potential for the closure to be longer than 6 months is a strong possibility so we are taking things day by day. We are a very small local independent business and closures like this can be devastating.”
Since then, the owner has pivoted to putting out virtual DJ sets on social media, and, most recently, hosting dance parties at nearby Sleeping Village.
Meanwhile, the bar has remained dark, leaving many patrons wondering if they’d ever get to dance there again.
But it seems the corner of Belmont and Drake avenues will soon be buzzing with late-night revelers again.
The owners didn’t respond to messages seeking comment Monday.
Late Bar is slated to reopen 8 p.m. Saturday.
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