Mayor Bill de Blasio made a trip to Bushwick’s Elsewhere on Monday evening to officially repeal the anti-dancing Cabaret Law which had been used to stop blacks from playing jazz in New York clubs and other venues since 1926.
Last night we doubled down on our commitment to support NYC’s nightlife by repealing the notorious cabaret law #nightliferevolution pic.twitter.com/BTjeZVJZmn
— Rafael L Espinal Jr. (@RLEspinal) November 28, 2017
Prior to Monday’s repeal, only 97 of roughly 25,000 eating and drinking establishments in New York City had a cabaret license. Getting one was a bureaucratic headache that many bars and clubs chose to ignore over the years. As a result, bar and club owners had been “living in fear” of fines and being shut down, according to Councilman Rafael Espinal who reps parts of Bushwick and helped get enough votes in the City Council to kill the law.
While de Blasio’s administration has issued relatively few citations, Espinal pushed for the bill’s repeal this year after an outcry of support.
House of Yes is hosting a prohibition-themed party next Tuesday to celebrate the news. So get out your blue-suede shoes and boogie!
Cover image courtesy of Elsewhere