Dublin’s iconic LGBTQ venue The George surprised its patrons on Monday evening with the news that it was reopening on June 7th.
The legendary bar doesn’t serve food so it has been closed since the beginning of the first lockdown back in March 2020.
However, just in time for the beginning of Pride month, they made a shock announcement on their social media, saying: “SURPRISE!!! Our booking system is now LIVE for our outdoor seating area. We will be opening June 7th. We can’t wait to see you all back in The George.”
The venue recently featured in the RTÉ show Open for Business.
Two of Ireland’s premiere drag queens Davina Devine and Victoria Secret were filmed in the venue and discussed how important the much loved bar is to the LGBTQI+ community.
Victoria said: “Ireland needs queer spaces purely because we all think that we’re way further ahead than we are.
"That’s not the fact. We’re not at that point where we truly are equal. And this is a safe space. These four walls are precious to us. It’s really important that we protect spaces like this.”
Clearly the LGBTQI+ community agreed, booking reservations as soon as the system opened.
As per current Covid regulations, it is only a maximum of six people per table and loyal customers were quick to snap up the available slots.
One well known face who is excited to see the iconic venue reopen is James Patrice - who simply commented “AAAAH” on their Instagram post followed by the fire emoji.
The outdoor space at The George is usually utilised as the smoking area but it has been transformed in order to allow them to open within government guidelines.
The hugely popular drag shows won’t be happening for the time being as there is a ban on live music and live performance.
This also means that there will be no DJ playing the usual mix of dance and pop you hear in the venue.
It will be table service only and patrons will also have to be off the premises by 10.30pm – a far cry from the bar’s usual late licence.
Pending further government announcements punters should expect to be back inside the venue in early July.
Customers will still have to book an outdoor slot if they wish to mark the day that the Pride Parade should happen on June 28th.
The Parade is once again virtual this year due to the ongoing Covid restrictions and bars will still only be allowed have outdoor service at that point.
