The only lesbian bar in Boston has finally opened its doors after more than two years of fundraising and renovations.
Dani’s Queer Bar is the city’s first lesbian bar to open in decades, according to the Boston Globe. And it’s been a long time coming. Owner and founder Thais Rocha began fundraising in 2022, hoping to curate a space for “women, non-binary and Trans LGBTQ+ community members who feel like we have no place.”
After securing a SPACE grant from the city last year, Rocha signed a lease for a building in BackBay, which was previously occupied by the Pour House, and got to work with renovations.
Dani’s celebrated their grand opening last Thursday. Hundreds of LGBTQ+ Bostonians lined up outside the bar to get a spot inside, reported GBH News.
“There’s already lots of young people who are coming here, and this is the first time they’ve ever been in a lesbian bar,” Tara Dikhof, a local drag artist who performed at Dani’s Thursday night, told GBH. “And what that means is there’s going to be people who get married, who met at Dani’s … and it’s going to change the entire landscape of South Boston. That’s more powerful than I think any of us can understand.”
The bar’s opening had been highly-anticipated since last spring, when Rocha began posting updates to Instagram. The bar had run into a few setbacks along the way, including delays with permitting and the need for further financing. On July 13, Rocha posted her final update, revealing their architect was causing them to keep the doors closed.
“He’s kind of held us hostage in terms of what we need to move forward with all of our final permitting and things like that to get open,” she said. “It’s been a lot of back-and-forth, so hopefully we’re able to wrap that up soon.”
Dani’s Queer Bar is officially open at 909 Boylston Street Monday through Sunday 5pm to 2am.
