Picking up from where The Black Cap left off, Bloc Bar is asking for its trading license to be extended, allowing it to serve until 3 am.
- The Black Cap was inauspiciously closed earlier this year leaving Camden, a borough in North London, without an LGBT home. After its demise, Bloc Bar was opened in July one minute away from the old venue.
According to Camden New Journal, Nigel Harris, who chairs Camden LGBT Forum, said:
“Since the closure of the Black Cap on Camden High Street, a minute’s walk from the Bloc Bar, a significant number of LGBT residents have lost their community hub.
The Cap was the only LGBT venue in Camden Town. Many residents facing severe isolation and difficulty with their own sexuality and gender identity relied on the Cap as a place to meet others and a sanctuary from homophobia. The Bloc Bar, although without the Cap’s history, will provide a much-needed hub for these residents.”
He added: “The drive to keep our heritage of providing local opportunities for artists to perform is very important. Providing the Bloc Bar with a late licence will allow this to continue… cabaret and drag performers perform late and it is not plausible to operate cabaret before 11pm”.
The extended trading license would allow for public performances until the early hours of the morning. The Black Cap was famous for its association with drag talent in North London. It has been credited for the birth place and stomping ground for many leading drag queens.
