Opening date confirmed for cabaret bar
THE doors to a long-awaited glamorous new cabaret bar in Swansea will be opening later this month, it’s been confirmed.
The owners of Main Stage venue in Cardiff’s St Mary Street initially announced they planned to open a second venue in Swansea last summer, but plans unfortunately fell through.
For months, business partners Martin Jones and Marc Scofield viewed countless potential venues in the city centre but struggled to find one that matched what they were looking for – until recently.
In February, we revealed that the pair had signed the lease for an empty unit in Castle Street, just up from night-out haven Wind Street.
Now, the pair have confirmed they’re busy applying the finishing touches to the bar-venue – and have confirmed its opening date.
Main Stage Swansea will be hosting its grand opening on Friday, May 17, the night before Swansea Pride on Saturday, May 18. Martin and Marc are keen to keep elements of the bar a surprise before the launch – but have shared a handful of sneak peek images and insight into what people can expect.
“We want Main Stage Swansea to be the go-to gay venue for Swansea,” Martin told us previously.
“A few years back, there were loads of LGBTQ+ venues in the city but over time, most of them closed down so we want to offer that space. On evenings, we’ll have live entertainment from drag queens and singers and at certain times in the day, we’ll host groups for people in the LGBTQ+ community. We want the venue to be a safe space for everyone, but especially the LGBTQ+ community.”
Initially announcing their plans for
Main Stage Swansea during Swansea Pride 2023, Martin explained: “We’ve had Main Stage Cardiff for three years now, it’s been so successful and we really wanted to expand. Main Stage Swansea will be a gay bar with cabaret performances – and there’s a real need for it here.
“A few years ago, there were four or five gay bars in Swansea – now there’s not as many. We’ve had a lot of customers come and see us in Cardiff, from Swansea, so felt opening a bar in Swansea would be the right place!” he added.
“Main Stage will host cabaret shows with drag queens every Friday and Saturday and we’ll have events and drag karaoke in the week. There will also be ‘camp bingo’ and we plan to work with Swansea Pride to host monthly fundraising evenings too.”
“We want to be a friendly, safe space where we and our staff will get to know our customers,” added Marc. “There’s been so much interest for the venue – it’s so needed. It’ll be somewhere people can go and just be themselves. We’re trying to put the LGBTQ+ community back on the Swansea map! We want to give people a home – we’re all about creating a family atmosphere.
“It’ll be a safe space for people – and we want everyone to feel welcome. There might be people who want to come in on their own – they’re welcome! They can just walk in and sit at the bar and speak to staff, if they want to. We can offer support as well, if that’s what people want.”
Main Stage Swansea opens on May 17, at 36 Castle Street, Swansea city centre.