The Queens of Palace Celebrate The Next Chapter Of South Beach’s Iconic Drag Venue

Palace, the iconic gay restaurant and bar on Ocean Drive that is world-renowned for its live drag performances, is celebrating the move from its corner on 12th Street and Ocean Drive to it’s new location, still TBD, with weekly performances dedicated to different themes from all the decades of gay liberation. The fun begins Saturday, June 10th with a 70s-themed disco party that will reflect on the generation that launched the gay rights movement. “As we look back on Palace and its thirty monumental years, we thought it was important to also honor the community it serves,” says Thomas Donall, owner of Palace.

On April 25, he announced via Facebook that his popular South Beach bar and restaurant would be relocating as the building owners renovate. “At the moment, Palace is in a state of transition,” he wrote in a statement. “While we don’t know what our final date at this legendary location will be, we have begun to scout locations and will keep our friends, family and fans abreast of the latest shareable information.”

Earlier this month, he learned July 4th weekend would be the final weekend of Palace at 1200 Ocean Drive. “The truth of the matter is that this situation presents us with a fantastic opportunity to grow,” he continues. “We’re going to find a new place that has the same character but offers a bigger performance space that better suits the needs of our changing community”.

In the meantime, the queens of Palace will be going out with a bang, hosting a series of parties over the next five weeks that celebrate dance, drink and drag through the decades. Past queens that started their careers at Palace, including Geraldine, Missy Meyakie LePaige, Noel Leon, TP Lords, Tiffany Fantasia, and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Latrice Royale, will be taking the street-stage at Palace for their final hoorah.

A long-time popular haunt for celebrities — Andy Cohen, Nene Leakes, and Perez Hilton have been spotted dining outside the eatery, recently — Donall promises tons of surprise celebrity guests over the next few weeks, too. “The community is centered round Palace,” explains Tiffany Fantasia, who has performed at Palace for over fourteen years. “It is the most visible part of gay South Beach.”

Steve Palsar launched Palace in February 1988. Miami was a much different city at the time. There were no other restaurants on the Drive at the time and everyone thought Palsar was crazy to introduce one, but he did. Palace opened at 1200 Ocean Drive —Palsar’s “little slice of heaven,” as he called it — and it would usher in a whole new era that would eventually lead to cafes up and down the street.

Upon opening, Palace began catering to the city’s gay population. The community had adopted the 12th Street Beach across the street as their own, and soon the party carried over, with Palace hosting T-dances and drag shows regularly.

Around that time, designer Gianni Versace moved to Ocean Drive, a block away from Palace, and would often bring his friends to eat. Stars like Luciano Pavarotti, Elton John, Madonna and Princess Diana were frequently spotted at the restaurant and as Ocean Drive became a hot spot for fashion models, with new photoshoots and music videos being shot everyday, Palace stood at its epicenter.

Sadly, July 15, 1997, and the untimely death of Gianni Versace, would forever change Ocean Drive. By the time Thomas Donall, a nightclub owner and designer from Michigan, took over Palace in 2007, the restaurant and bar was in decline. “The kitchen was outdated, the sound was bad,” he remembers. “It needed major renovation and I was semi-retired. I wasn’t sure I was up for the task but I knew I could rebrand the place and have it do great things for the community.”

Donall introduced daily drag on-the-street shows at Palace and launched its popular drag brunch. He started weekly T-Dances and during Pride, Winter Party, and White Party Weekends, he created free block parties that eventually grew so large, Donall had to acquire permits from the city to shut down the entire 12th street block to accommodate the crowds. He also gave back financially to the community. Since his tenure, Palace has contributed over $2 million to charitable causes including Task Force, Miami Pride, and CareResource.

An average weekend at Palace became queens doing flips and splits in the street and running marathons in the park.

In 2014, the LGBT Community Committee for the City of Miami Beach permitted Palace to decorate the crosswalk with rainbow colors, marking Palace as a key South Beach landmark and meeting place for the LGBTQ community. Later, in 2016 the city of Miami Beach also donated a decorative rainbow street sign topper to the 12th street signage. The establishment’s slogan: “Every Queen Needs a Palace.”

Last year, developer Steve Kassin’s Infinity Real Estate bought the building that houses Palace as well as 23 residential units, for over $15 million. At the time of the sale, an executive for Infinity said the company planned to “enhance the property, including improving the building’s prominence and accessibility.” Through its statement on Facebook, Palace management made clear that instead of closing temporarily during the building’s renovations, Palace would change locations permanently.

The final show at 1200 Ocean Drive will take place on Tuesday, July 4. Palace will bring in special lights, sound and production for its last dance. “This is not farewell,” confirms Donall. “It’s a ‘see ya soon.’”

Those who wish to be among the first to know about the new location should text the word PALACE to 64600. Adds drag queen Tiffany, “Until we reopen — bigger and better than ever — we ask fans to sit back, relax and hold on tight ‘cause we have something for ya ass!”

Visit: www.palacesouthbeach.com