Pour one out for The Rosemont, a New York gem gone too soon

It was the shot heard ’round every gay group chat in New York City when The Rosemont announced it would be closing its doors on September 3.

The Brooklyn dive bar, home to the world’s strongest frozen margaritas, sweaty and packed late-night dance parties, and some of the city’s quirkiest and most artistic drag, had already been closed for nearly a week without any official announcement.

But as a post shared on their Instagram revealed, the scrappy basement-esque venue, which welcomed many a young LGBTQ+ person with cash to spend in East Williamsburg, would “unfortunately likely not be reopening in a permanent physical capacity.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Rosemont NYC (@therosemontnyc)

Pack your bags, we’re going on an adventure

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for the best LGBTQ+ travel guides, stories, and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Of course, The Rosemont isn’t the first gay bar in New York City to shutter, nor is it even the only one to close this year after Macri Park abruptly announced its departure back in February.

Still, in a city overrun by impossible VIP lists and sleek, shiny, straight-dominated discotheques, losing The Rosemont, a space that was unabashedly Queer with a capital Q, felt deeply personal to me.

As far as LGBTQ+ bars go, The Rosemont was divey to say the least.

An assortment of random divas hung on black-painted walls which peeled as much as its booth seating. The restrooms were notoriously underpoliced, the drinks were strong, and on a Friday night, the amount of vape clouds and hot bodies could get so overwhelming, you’d be forced to retreat to the patio for a breath of fresh air with the cigarette smokers.

But the energy? It was unmatched.

The Rosemont held onto its 63 Montrose Avenue location for a decade, but that’s not to say there hadn’t been some close calls.

Famously during the COVID-19 pandemic, the spot stayed above the surface by offering weekend food and drink delivery services to patrons, accompanied by a personal drag performance from resident queen Magenta, who performed outside the bar manager’s jeep.

When weekday business slowed between stateside RuPaul’s Drag Race seasons, The Rosemont was the only local spot I could find that produced watch parties for its international franchises.

(On one especially memorable evening when the house credentials weren’t working, I even loaned my WOW Presents Plus login to the night’s outrageous and hilarious host, trans comedian Glace Chase, who threatened to steal my boyfriend on more than one occasion.)

Between those four walls, I lived out some of the most exciting nights of my twenties: throwing my puffer jacket into a pile on the couch so I could twirl to a remix of the then-new Adele comeback single, hunkering over my laptop outdoors to finish a last-minute work assignment, running into an old friend sweating through their tank top to “Green Light” by Lorde, and striking up a conversation with an international couple who I still follow on Instagram to this day.

Naturally, I’m not the only one who feels so sentimental.

For a spell, the bar hosted queer-only open mics and comedy shows, including performances by the internet’s favorite fake couple A Twink and a Redhead.

And earlier this year, The Rosemont welcomed in the worst girl in America (and this summer’s biggest pop-music breakout), Slayyyter, at a wall-to-wall, packed dance party.

According to Nylon, Luis Fernando’s The Zoo parties were one of the 10 best spots to actually dance in New York City, offering guests “a guaranteed good, sweaty time that truly lives up to its name.”

Heck, even Kim Petras dusted off her social media to offer The Rosemont a sad salutory goodbye after the news broke.

All this to say, the New York City LGBTQ+ scene lost a good watering hole this month, and we’re worse off without its fogged up windows lighting up and blown out speakers wailing every evening.

Thankfully though, it sounds like the party isn’t over just yet.

According to its owners, the staff is “trying to figure out a closing night” to “celebrate the wild ride we’ve been on for the better part of this last decade,” with details coming soon to its social media accounts.

Below, check out some of the sweetest social media tributes to The Rosemont.

Every time I’ve gone to the Rosemont this decade it’s been bc I knew the music would be exactly what I wanted to hear. The dance floor impossibly crowded but everyone would be in a great if outrageous mood. Always an insane cover charge but whatever it’s the ROSEMONT. ZOHRAN!!!!— coleman spilde (@colemanjspilde) September 3, 2026

Related

This year’s best gay bars, according to our readers
Where everyone knows your name…

Join the GayCities newsletter for weekly updates on the best LGBTQ+ destinations and events—nearby and around the world.