Share this Post
DTR’s legendary nightclub complex has found a new home in the Warehouse District.
The party ain’t over yet. Almost five years after selling its current location to make way for a new development, longtime pink- and purple-hued LGBTQ+ bar Legends has found a new home at 316 W. Cabarrus St. (in between The Depot and Eye Heart Tattoo).
Staying true to its nee-1991 Warehouse District roots, Legends 2.0—expected to open early this summer—will continue to be a go-to entertainment destination for drag, dance and other live shows, what with the inclusive dedicated spaces Raleigh has grown to love. Think a greatly improved theater, huge outdoor bar, energy-heavy game room and music-thumping dance floor—plus some “Easter eggs” for patrons to spot (keep your eyes peeled for the OG sign currently hanging outside of the building).
“This move allows us to ensure our legacy continues,” says Legends co-owner MC. “We’re still going to be doing exactly what we’ve done for the past 30+ years, we’ll just be doing it a few blocks away.”
It was that Warehouse District location criteria—an absolute must, according to MC—that made the process of securing a new location take as long as it did. “It was more than just ‘I need to move my business and be successful,’” MC explains. “I’m not in it just for that—obviously I have to make money and survive, but there’s a lot more riding on that than me opening a beer and giving it to you to get drunk.”
In essence, while Legends throws one hell of a party, the popular nightclub is about so much more. Since opening during a less-than-accepting time in history, it’s been a welcoming refuge for those in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.
“Legends was always known as a safe place where you could come and be you,” emphasizes MC. “That was what it was day one. And it didn’t matter what you wanted to do or how you wanted to do it. If society didn’t accept who you were, it’s OK, we do.”
In celebration of its next chapter, Legends is planning a blowout “party month or quarter” for the new digs, in addition to a final farewell of the existing location, which promises to live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who has stepped through its doors or spent any significant time in Raleigh.
“Legends has been here forever, so I want to see a stone in the ground that Legends was here,” MC adds. “It’s hard not to know somebody that didn’t say at some point, ‘I remember going to legends.’” And, now, thanks to another warehouse, the legend will live on.
For more on Legends history and what to expect of the new location, be sure to pick up a February issue—or subscribe online.
Related Articles
Share this Post
Comments
Hopefully they have more guest DJs more often at the new location!
I hope better DJs at the new location.