Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar of Wilton Manors Celebrates 18 Years in Business

Five Days of Celebrations from September 9-14

Hotspots Exclusive Interview

Georgie’s Alibi of Wilton Manors (2266 Wilton Dr.) has been a staple in the Broward County gay community for the past eighteen years. Opened in a time when only a handful of gay businesses existed on Wilton Drive, Georgie’s helped pave the way for other businesses to join them on The Drive, eventually making the area one of the gay nightlife hotspots in South Florida. Now under new ownership, Georgie’s is now officially known as Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar, and one of the new owners, Johnny Pak (who also owns Monkey Bar in Provincetown, Massachusetts), hopes to make the popular venue the best it’s ever been.

As a result of the change in ownership, Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar is moving their anniversary celebrations from May to September, and they are also moving their popular turnabout charity benefit from the weekend of Stonewall Wilton Manors to September as well. There are five big days of events coming up to celebrate Georgie’s 18 years in business. Let me tell you a little bit about each of them.

Wednesday, September 9: Tony and Gloria, two performers who earned a loyal following at the recently-closed Bill’s Filling Station, have moved over to Georgie’s on Wednesday evenings, and they will be kicking off the anniversary celebrations with a performance on the main stage from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. “Bringing Tony and Gloria to Georgie’s on Wednesdays has been a refreshing change. They are so very talented,” Director of Operations, Ron Woolery, told Hotspots.

Friday, September 11: Antonio Edwards’ 50th birthday celebration will be held in the Manchester Room at 8 p.m. “He’s a new addition; he’s been around for two or three months now, and it’s a nice change to welcome the caliber of singer and performer that he is into the fold here,” Ron Woolery told us. He was also quick to tell us about GROWL, the weekly event for bears, bears who love bears, and bear admirers that had an intensely loyal following at Bill’s and is now a fixture at Georgie’s. Some of the hottest bears in South Florida will be out on the dance floor, including some very delicious go-go dancers! DJ A.J. Reddy will be spinning all night long for the party, which begins at 9 p.m.

Saturday, September 12: Jennifer McClain will be hosting her Jennifer Tonight Cabaret Show in the Manchester Room at 8 p.m. “She performs in New York and in Key West…everywhere you go, people know Jennifer McClain, so we’re happy that we have her here in Wilton Manors,” Ron Woolery said. There will be anniversary T-shirt giveaways tonight and on Sunday as well. 

Sunday, September 13: There will be a Broadway Brunch show in the early afternoon, followed by LeNora Jaye’s MegaMix show, which will be held in the Manchester Room at 7:30 p.m. “LeNora is such an exquisitely talented performer. She is amazing. Everyone loves her. People especially loved when she performed with the Sisters of Soul this past New Year’s Eve,” Hotspots was told. Afterwards, Misty Eyez’ Trannie Palace show, another show that was popular at Bill’s and has a new home at Georgie’s, will begin on the main stage at 11:30 p.m.

Monday, September 14: One of the biggest events in Georgie’s anniversary week is the annual employee turnabout, which will begin promptly at 9 p.m. The theme is “The Really Desperate Dragwives of Wilton Drive” and proceeds raised during this event will benefit Safe Schools South Florida. Safe Schools South Florida is a non-profit organization providing education, crisis intervention and suicide prevention to and for LGBTQ youth in local schools. “We’ve been doing turnabout for 18 years, and we try to change it up every year. With all of the reality stars in the news, like the Kardashians, we thought doing a reality show theme would be fitting, and we brainstormed from there,” Scot Newell, bartender and special events coordinator, told Hotspots. “It’s going to be set up in a Bravo TV show format, with an Andy Cohen type of character emceeing the event. They’re not doing imitations per se, but rather their own spin on what their ‘Dragwives’ persona would be.”

The staff is very thrilled about celebrating Georgie’s eighteenth anniversary. “I think a lot of us who have worked here for a very long time are overjoyed that we’ve sort of crossed over into icon status,” Scot Newell told us. When asked about the new changes people can expect now that Georgie’s has new owners, we were told that some changes are in the midst of being implemented right now. “With the new owners coming in, it’s almost like a breath of fresh air has come through the bar. Johnny Pak and his partners have come in and they’re giving this place a facelift, fixing some things up in the front of the house but also in the back of the house.”

Every bar that has earned itself a large and loyal fanbase has to have a secret to its success. What’s the secret for Georgie’s? “Familiarity is one of the key secrets. When you walk in, chances are you already know the majority of the staff, and most of our regulars have been coming for years and years. It’s a comfortable neighborhood bar, first and foremost. Everyone knows the Alibi, and even people who leave for, say, four or five years, know that they will leave and when they return, it’s still going to be here,” Scot Newell told us. “We treat our customers like family and I think that’s very appealing too.”

Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar is open from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday-Saturday. For more information on Georgie’s Alibi/Monkey Bar, visit alibiwiltonmanors.com or call (954) 565-2526. Make sure to “like” them on Facebook at facebook.com/alibi.wiltonmanors to find our more about their daily and monthly specials, including their customer appreciation special for the month of September!