South Beach’s Iconic gay bar knows every queen needs her ‘Palace’!
The Palace, an iconic LGBTQ bar and restaurant in the heart of Miami Beach’s art deco district, turns 29 years old on Friday (Feb. 17) with all the fanfare deserving of such an occasion.
The festivities begin at 4 p.m. and continue all night long. A proclamation from the City of Miami Beach will formally be presented at 7 p.m., followed by an all-star show featuring a Who’s Who cast of South Florida entertainers including TP Lords, Tiffany Fantasia, Noel Leon, Shanaya Bright, Fantasia Royale, T-Lo Ivy, Pusilla, Elishaly D’Witshes, Joanna James, Athena Dion, Daisy Deadpetals, Melissa Hilton, Poizon Ivy and Mhi’ya Iman.
“It’s hard to believe that we’re celebrating 29 years here at the Palace,” said owner Thomas Donall. “This is a big deal for anyone in the nightclub business, but even more so for the Miami LGBTQ nightlife community. I mean, who can boast 29 years?!”
A “really spectacular night” is planned to celebrate, Donall promised Hotspots. “Our queens are going to pull out all the stops for this one. And just as with anything that we do here, we want to thank our supporters and invite anyone who has hung out here — or wanted to but never had the chance — to join us for our Birdcage-themed anniversary party. We’ve got incredible entertainers, fantastic music, a great open bar with some of our signature cocktails from 6 p.m. -7 p.m., and a ton more surprises.
“As much as we would like to celebrate Palace, we are actually celebrating the love and support that the community has shown us,” explained Donall. “That support is what I always try to show and I’ve always tried to give back with everything we do here. It’s going to be a fantastic night and I can’t wait.”
General Manager William Balcazar, who is a fairly new addition to the staff, also shared with his thoughts about the iconic nightclub.
“There’s nothing quite like Palace. As a member of the LGBTQ community I’ve seen, first-hand, even before I was the GM here, what this [place] means to people,” said Balcazar. “There’s no arguing that our brunches are a staple in this city, but I’ve also seen how Palace transforms itself beyond a restaurant/bar for so many other things. We’ve held fundraisers to cover funeral costs for people in our community. We’ve held fundraisers to send queens to pageants. We’ve partnered with other teams like Latinos Salud to help spread information and awareness about HIV/AIDS. They’ve even provided free HIV testing here almost monthly. Palace was a place to mourn in solidarity after the Pulse shooting.
“But,” he added, “we’ve also been, a fun, family-inclusive place for anyone just walking on Ocean Drive. It’s a real venue that welcomes Miami’s locals and tourists with open arms. There are not a lot of places like that anymore. I think that’s what makes this place so successful and has kept us around for 29 years. There are many more things in the works that I would love to tell you about but it’s all very hush hush. What I can tell you is that 2017 has a ton of events happening right here at 1200 Ocean Drive and they are going to be bigger and better and gayer than ever!”
Plan to come out this Friday, February 17th to celebrate the Palace’s 29th anniversary in South Beach. The bar/restaurant is open 7 days a week, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. or later. Visit PalaceSouthBeach.com for more info.
