Iconic London gay bar forced to close due to rising rent
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A popular gay bar in London has been forced to close because of rent hikes.
The iconic Kazbar in South London, opened doors in 1995 and has had an iconic 20 years since.
However, due to the unsustainable price hike, they will close it’s doors for the last time on the 1st of January.
The bar will still hold it’s last infamous annual New Year’s Eve party.
Newly appointed Night Czar, Amy Lamé, revealed that the bar’s rent was due to be hiked up from an already hefty £86,000 to £150,000.
A statement released on the bar’s Facebook page said: “After 20 years of being the iconic gay bar of South London, we regret to inform you that we will be closing down this year.
“We will hold our last “New Year’s Eve” party until 6 am as usual. But we would love you to join us for the last goodbye drinks of the 1st January until our normal closing time.
“Thanks for your support all these years.”
Numerous gay venues across London have felt the squeeze as the city becomes increasingly more expensive to operate in.
This summer, The infamous Royal Vauxhall Tavern was threatened with closure by developers who planned to knock the landmark down and build a strip club chain in its place.
The venue had changed hands a number of times in the recent years, and was under threat of being put back on the market for £4.1 million.
However, London mayor Sadiq Khan has vowed to protect the historical landmark and has backed the preservation group, RVT Future, who announced that they’re working to bring the pub into community ownership.
