Club Lambda, a Brooklyn-based queer nightclub, announced it will close down for good at the end of the month.
The club, located at 1031 Grand St. in Brooklyn, is one of two LGBTQ bars owned by couple Charles Hughes and Richard Solomon, who were honored at the Gay City News Impact Awards in 2022. The couple also owns Lambda Lounge in Harlem, which opened in 2021 and will remain open. Club Lambda first opened in 2022.
“We are here to inform you Club Lambda will be closing its doors forever at the end of 2026,” Club Lambda stated in an Instagram post. “The past 5 years have been nothing more than exciting as we have hosted some of the most iconic and memorable events New York has seen!”
Club Lambda has regularly hosted a range of events, including “Sneaky Link Saturday” and a “Bad Decisions” party on Thursdays. On Feb. 19, Club Lambda announced it will host a final party on Feb. 28.
“Join us for one final night as we close this chapter and celebrate all the memories we’ve created together,” the Instagram posted stated. “We want to thank you all for your continued support — and a very special thank you to the DJs, hosts, and promoters who’ve collaborated with us to make every night unforgettable. Let’s come together one last time for the final dance.”
In a 2021 interview with Gay City News, Hughes and Solomon said they were motivated to launch their own bar after their evening at a different nightclub was ruined by a DJ who told them that “men don’t dance with men.”
They also acknowledged the bar’s important role in fostering a safe space for queer people of color.
“LGBTQ+ people of color do not have a location to go to,” Hughes said at the time. “Finally, we have a place to call our own.”
Lambda Lounge is located at 2256 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. in Manhattan.
