most nights), and Haley and Everett hope it continues to draw all kinds of people from around Austin. In the month or so that Highland has been open, it’s developed into a cocktail bar with an atmosphere more like that of a casual lounge than a dance club (the dance floor doesn’t open up until 10 p.m. Hanging on the walls of the outdoor patio area are big posters featuring original illustrations that represent each of the Highland Lakes, from Inks to Lady Bird Lake (and some of them, because it is a bar after all, are playfully suggestive). Haley said Grunnah decided to gut the old infrastructure that made up Kiss & Fly, renovating it to make it the sleek, open space it is now, with a blue, white and yellow color scheme that pays tribute to the water theme plenty of seating on both floors and a large dance floor in the center with floor-to-ceiling speakers that a live performer recently said made “Highland sound like Carnegie Hall,” Haley said. Highland is the latest in a long line of gay bars to occupy the space at 404 Colorado St., from Club 404 in the early 1990s to Kiss & Fly a few years ago. He felt like there were a lot of members of the LGBT community whose needs weren’t being served.” “Upscale, known for its martinis, draws all kinds of people - Robert wanted to bring something like it here. “It’s considered one of the best gay bars in the world,” he said. was a prime example of the sort of bar that Grunnah wanted to replicate in Austin, where he hadn’t yet seen a similar concept. Kevin Haley, Highland’s director of marketing, said the Abbey in L.A. that have gay bars and dance clubs beloved in the community at large. The concept behind Highland first developed for founder Robert Grunnah after traveling to L.A., Miami, Chicago and other cities in the U.S. November’s drink is going to Out Youth, a local organization that supports and provides services to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning teenagers. In addition to those, there’s a monthly nonprofit cocktail that staff donates a $1 of each one sold to a different nonprofit each month. 1, fresh lime and lemon juice, simple syrup, ginger ale, cucumber and mint), and a list of signature shots such as the Red Snapper (with Old Overholt Rye, Amaretto and cranberry juice). Created by Highland’s beverage director Joyce Garrison, a cocktail maven in Austin who previously worked at the W Austin, the menu is divided into a list of signature cocktails, featuring classics like the Brown Derby (with Buffalo Trace bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, house-made honey syrup and grapefruit peel) and the Pimm’s Cup (with Pimm’s No. Highland Lounge - named after the seven lakes that flow in and around Austin - also offers a pretty comprehensive craft cocktail menu, something else that sets the bar apart. “We’d rather focus on service, on having friendly bartenders and staff who make anyone feel welcome, rather than on having events like ‘lesbian nights’ that imply only they can be here on that night and no one else.” “Highland is a little ahead of its time in Austin,” she said. General Manager Elaine Everett prefers calling Highland an LGBTQ-friendly bar: a place where gay, straight, young, old men and women can come without feeling excluded because they don’t fall in a certain label. Go to /highlandlounge for more information.The team behind Highland Lounge isn’t crazy about calling their new downtown bar a gay bar because it’s so different from all the others that have come to define the local scene over the years. “The Highland Show” will also raise money through a GoFundMe benefiting the club’s 34 staff members and performers. (Yes, that’s after “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is over.) Like all nightclubs and bars in Austin, Highland has had to shut down to stem the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.Īccording to a news release, the broadcast will showcase the “talents of the Highland staff outside of being just bartenders or security on the weekends.” Expect drag, signing, comedy, short films and more. Now, instead of dancing the night away at your local gay bar, you can do it on your own, at home.Īustin LGBTQ nightclub Highland Lounge plans to host a digital variety show at 10 p.m.
Austin artists have jumped all the way on the livestream performance bandwagon lately.