Name: How Toronto’s most iconic drag bar is keeping its doors open
Uploaded: 2026-03-05T09:46:44.787Z
Duration: 2 min 28 s
Description: Toronto’s iconic drag bar Crews & Tangos, once expected to close to make way for a condo development, says it’s here to stay — at least until 2029. CBC’s Tyler Cheese speaks with the venue’s new co-owner about the bar’s legacy and its future.

Toronto’s iconic drag bar Crews & Tangos, once expected to close to make way for a condo development, says it’s here to stay — at least until 2029. CBC’s Tyler Cheese speaks with the venue’s new co-owner about the bar’s legacy and its future.

Toronto

Cruis'n Tango's, a landmark drag bar in Toronto's gay village, will continue operating after reaching an agreement with building owner Greywood Developments. The bar, which has been a vital venue for the LGBTQIA community and launched the careers of many drag performers, faced closure rumors due to redevelopment plans.

After community pushback, a proposed high-rise development was scrapped, and the bar received upgrades including a new stage and lighting. While the current lease runs until 2029, both the bar's owners and Greywood say there are no immediate plans for closure, though concerns remain about the long-term preservation of queer spaces in the area.

How Toronto’s most iconic drag bar is keeping its doors open

Alright, so let's set the record straight. Is Cruis'n Tango's closing? We are not closing until I receive notice that we're closing. These doors will stay open as long as we can keep them open. Cruis'n Tango's has sat at the heart of Toronto's gay village for more than 30 years. It's here that many of Canada's top drag entertainers took to the stage for the first time. Cruis'n Tango's the most iconic drag bar in Toronto, and actually I think in all of Canada, if you look at it, the history behind it. People like Brooklyn Heights started here, who's now the host of Canada's Drag Race. Despite its legendary status, the bar hasn't been able to shake rumours that it's closing down to make way for condos. Mostly because at one point, that was the plan. Greywood Developments owns the building that houses the bar, and originally planned a 14-storey building for the site, while promising to restore Cruis'n Tango's as part of the project. The city approved that plan in 2022, but a few years later, the developer proposed a 48-storey mixed-use building instead. After pushback from the community, that plan was scrapped. Since then, Greywood has struck a deal with the bar's new owners to keep them open. They worked really well with us to make sure that we could affordably keep this space alive in the community. I think we all know the building needs a little bit of love, a little bit of help, so it took a lot of money to put into it to get it up to where it is now. Updates to the space include a new stage, new lights, and new countertops. The bar staying open is especially meaningful for local drag performers like Joshua Hughes, aka Star Doll from Canada's Drag Race. I started performing at Cruis'n in 2023, and I just really enjoy Cruis'n because it is somewhere that I have been going even before I started working in drag, just as a baby queer person. When I freshly turned 19, I got to go there and experience what it's like. But others are warning the community against complacency when it comes to losing spaces in the village. I think we need gentrification in this community. We need mixed-use developments, but they have to align with the fabric of this community, which is a queer community and is a mid-rise community. While Cruis'n Tango seems safe for now, he's worried its closure has only been delayed, which would impact the entire neighborhood. It represents a continued decline and gradual hollowing out of the village over the past decade. In a statement to CBC, a Greywood representative wrote, the firm is happy to continue working with the bar's current owners. Adding, development plans for this site are still under consideration, but they don't see any need to close the space for the foreseeable future. The bar's current lease agreement ends in 2029. Tyler Cheese, CBC News, Toronto.

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