Employees of the recently shuttered Macri Park are raising funds after the bar’s sudden closure caught them off guard.
We reported last week that Macri Park announced a closure on Instagram without citing a reason—and, apparently, without giving staff proper notice.
“My show was the last night they had. And then the next morning, I woke up to messages that they were closing the bar,” said Mambiché, a performer who hosted biweekly events at the bar. “An hour or two later, they posted online that the bar was closing.”
The abrupt closure echoes the bar’s previous closure in 2015, when it suddenly changed ownership and rebranded as an LGBTQ+ bar. Steven McEnrue owns Macri Park, as well as another local bar, Metropolitan. We were unsuccessful in reaching McEnrue for comment.
Maxim Ibadov, another performer and regular patron, told Greenpointers that they were heartbroken but not surprised by the closure.
“I think there’s a lot of confusion about what led to the closure because people were going out—obviously the economy is not doing well and it’s the winter season, but it’s not like the bar was really struggling to attract customers,” they shared.
Macri Park served as a beloved and important gathering spot for the queer community, as a frequent host to drag shows, watch parties, and many a karaoke night.
“A lot of performers who are now big names have passed through that bar—it’s kind of like a right of passage,” said Mambiché.
“A lot of really good memories have been made in that space,” Ibadov reminisced. “One of the very first times I performed in drag was at an open set at Macri Park and that night, I actually met a lot of other drag performers who, almost four years later, I’m still friends with.”
Sunday’s fundraiser at Happyfun Hideaway in Bushwick will give Macri Park regulars a chance to say goodbye to a space that they weren’t able to properly mourn. It starts at 9 pm and features drag performances, DJs, raffles, tattoos, and music. Everyone is volunteering their time, making it a true labor of love.
Legendary drag artist Untitled Queen also launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the displaced workers while they deal with a loss in income. So far, it has raised more than $6,000 out of their $10,000 goal.
Mambiché stressed not only how important Macri Park was to the queer community, but how important queer spaces are overall, in a climate that has seen many of them decline.
“We are losing a lot of queer spaces that are priced accessibly, and it’s really important to support them since their margins are a lot slimmer and they need a lot of support to keep the doors open,” they reflected.