Side Bar is a new dance venue in the ‘Heart of Duval Street’

Side Bar is a new dance venue in the ‘Heart of Duval Street’

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

Key West’s main tourist drag has seen plenty of changes over the past few years, but it’s been a while since a new dance club has opened up there.

That’s the rationale behind the Side Bar, a new boogie-oriented spot recently opened at Aqua Nightclub,711 Duval St. The new club soft-opened during Fantasy Fest, and officially laid out its shingle to the public last week.

“We felt that it was a natural progression of what we do here at Aqua,” said the club’s co-owner Kimball Ingram. “If there’s a show going on in the front bar, people now have a place to go to dance, and drink. The Side Bar will also be available for people to rent for special occasions such as weddings and receptions, or benefits. It’s a non-smoking room, but people who want to have a cigarette, or a breath of fresh air can walk outside into the Back Bar, which we’ve also expanded. The two areas will work together that way.”

The Aqua club proper has long been a social and entertainment center for Key Westers and tourists alike. Moving forward, Ingram sees the complex as fulfilling a greater role for the community, on a part of Duval Street removed from the “honky tonk” atmosphere of Lower Duval.

“The Side Bar is a dance club, and a great place for customers to go to after the show is over in the front bar,” Ingram said. “But there’s also an adjacent event room we can expand into, for receptions and private parties of up to 75 people.”

Ingram added that with it’s new, state-of-the-art video wall, the Side Bar will also host sports-oriented get-togethers, such as a Superbowl party.

“We’re not a sports bar, but we will have games on sometimes during the day,” he said.

For more information on the Side Bar at Aqua, call 305-294-0555, email kimball@aquakeywest.com or visit www.sidebarkeywest.com

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