If you were thinking of catching a drag show and dinner at Aquaplex, you better hurry.
The Oakland Park restaurant/bar/cabaret, renowned for its female impersonator performances, will close this Sunday, July 26, after what is being billed as the “Our Last Dance” brunch service, according to a Facebook post.
Repeated attempts to contact Aquaplex’s ownership and management were unsuccessful, but the reservationist confirmed that Sunday would be the last opportunity to book a table. And OpenTable.com will not allow reservations after Sunday.
Formerly called Lips Drag Queen Show Palace, Restaurant & Bar, the venue has been a leading drag performance hotspot since 2007 and is renown for attracting a mix of straight and LGBTQ+ people, often celebrating engagements, graduations, job promotions and anniversaries as well as hosting charity events.
In the summer of 2024, Lips was purchased for an undisclosed sum by Aquaplex Key West, an entertainment complex with five experiences under one roof, including a drag nightclub and bar. The owners of both properties were husbands Michael and Jonathan Barrett.
Michael Barrett became the CEO of Orlando-based Pride Holdings Group — previously Parliament House Enterprises Inc. — and in 2025 that company took over ownership of both Aquaplex venues as well as other LGBTQ+ bars and restaurants such as Johnsons in Wilton Manors and Lucky’s Bar & Nightclub on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
But Lucky’s closed earlier this year and in May there was an eviction notice and utility shutoff notice posted on the door of Aquaplex Fort Lauderdale.
Aquaplex Key West was evicted Wednesday, July 15, according to Monroe County Clerk of Circuit Court records.
This week, Pride Holdings Group announced that Michael Barrett “has retired as Chief Executive Officer” in a press release.
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