Aquaplex to close this weekend, shaking up Broward nightlife scene
Aquaplex in Oakland Park closed Sunday, removing a longtime drag-dining anchor from Broward’s LGBTQ nightlife and leaving performers and staff in limbo.
Aquaplex in Oakland Park closed Sunday, ending the run of a drag show cabaret, restaurant and bar that had become one of Broward’s most recognizable LGBTQ entertainment spaces. The venue had been marketed as “The Ultimate in Drag Dining,” and for years it drew regulars, celebrants and visitors from across the Fort Lauderdale area.
The shutdown came after notice that the venue would close “this weekend,” with the final days carrying immediate uncertainty for performers, staff and anyone with future bookings tied to the room. Parent company Pride Holdings Group also moved to close Birdcage Cabaret in Key West, making Aquaplex part of a broader South Florida pullback that reached beyond Oakland Park.
The building at the center of the closure was not a new or interchangeable nightlife spot. In August 2024, the venue then known as Lips was saved at the 11th hour, underscoring how often Broward’s drag institutions have had to fight to stay open. That earlier near-loss made the Sunday shutdown feel less like a routine business change and more like the disappearance of one of the county’s few dedicated drag-dining rooms.
The closure also raises a labor question. Workers said some paychecks bounced, and staff were told late Sunday afternoon, adding financial strain to a decision that landed quickly on employees who depended on the venue for income. For bartenders, servers, security staff, production crews and performers, a closing like this can erase not only one stage but an entire stream of weekend work.
For Oakland Park and neighboring Fort Lauderdale, Aquaplex was more than a nightlife stop. It helped anchor a slice of Broward’s cultural calendar with performances, special events and celebratory gatherings that gave the area a distinct identity within South Florida’s entertainment map. With the Key West counterpart already shut earlier this summer, the brand’s retreat leaves fewer large, visible spaces built around drag performance and communal nightlife in the region.
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