A legendary LGBTQ bar is headed to Phoenix

An iconic LGBTQ+ bar known for its raucous nights and popular daytime parties is bringing its legacy to Phoenix.

Barracks Bar, a longtime Palm Springs institution catering to the leather and bear subcultures, will open in the Valley later this year after more than three decades in California.

The 4,676-square-foot venue is located at 4601 N. Seventh Ave. in Phoenix’s LGBTQ-friendly Melrose District.

City of Phoenix records show the establishment will feature a full bar, dance floor and DJ booth inside, along with a roughly 3,900-square-foot patio outside.

Co-owner Scott Murchison says Barracks Bar will also include a small boutique selling leather and fetish accessories and host a robust lineup of dance nights and themed events booked by co-owner Matthew Moody, a longtime Phoenix DJ and party promoter.

While the spot will cater to the leather and bear communities, all members of the Valley’s LGBTQ community and their allies are welcome.

Murchison says he hopes Barracks Bar will build a loyal following similar to its original location in Southern California.

“We want to make it a community bar,” Murchison says.

A fixture of Palm Springs LGBTQ+ nightlife

The original Barracks Bar was one of the Palm Springs area’s most enduring LGBTQ institutions, not to mention one of its most unapologetically niche.

First opened in 1992 as Wolf’s, the spot was located in the Palm Springs suburb of Cathedral City. It later became Barracks Bar in the 2000s and served as a cornerstone of the Coachella Valley’s leather, kink and bear communities.

Murchison purchased the establishment in 2019 and expanded its size and scope.

“When I bought it, it was attached to this huge warehouse just filled of junk,” Murchison says. “And I was like, ‘Let’s empty the junk and throw dance parties in it.’ So I turned it into a dance club.”

During the daytime, Barracks Bar hosted packed weekend beer busts and hot dog cookouts. After dark, it boasted an anything-goes energy, dance parties and events like Underwear Night on Wednesdays.

Barracks Bar was a hotspot among Southern California practitioners of leather subculture, a LGBTQ+ lifestyle known for its self-expression, fetish gear and libertine nightlife.

The bar’s identity helped cement its status in queer nightlife circles. Barracks Bar reportedly held some of the most popular leather lifestyle events in the Palm Springs area, earning it a devoted following and frequent appearances on lists of must-visit leather bars in the U.S.

“It was a gay leather bar institution for 32 years,” Murchison says.

Why Barracks Bar closed its original location

Barracks Bar shuttered in August 2024 following a tangle of issues involving its liquor license, city oversight and disputes over building use and operations.

The closure followed investigations by California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control into alleged lewd conduct at the venue, particularly during its busy weekend events. State officials also raised compliance concerns involving occupancy limits, permitted use and building requirements.

Murchison wound up closing Barracks Bar as a result of the situation.

He offered a more personal explanation regarding the matter, saying it stemmed in part from an anonymous complaint by an ex-partner that triggered scrutiny from state regulators in California.

“They came after me and didn’t really give me any recourse,” Murchison says, adding that officials made it clear “they just don’t want to hear from this location ever again.”

Murchison also acknowledged shortcomings in how the bar was managed.

“At the end of the day, the buck stopped with me,” he says. “It was my responsibility to make sure that we were policing sexual activity better than we were, and we weren’t.”

He says the Phoenix location will operate with stricter oversight, with staff more closely monitoring activity inside the venue.

“I learned my lesson,” Murchison says. “We are going to be policing it religiously, because I just want to make money and sell liquor. And my partner just wants to put dance parties.”

Moody, who Murchison brought aboard as co-owner, already has a slate of events in mind.

When will Barracks Bar open in Phoenix?

Murchison says he was drawn to Phoenix in part because of his connection to Moody, a longtime local DJ and promoter who hosts events at LGBTQ nightspots across the Valley.

“I was looking everywhere in America, but my general manager was friends with Matt, who was coming to Palm Springs to DJ at my bar,” Murchison says. “So my GM introduced us we just started talking.”

Murchison says there is no firm opening date for Barracks Bar in Phoenix, but he’s aiming for later this year.

“I’m not wild about opening in the middle of summer, so we might not do it until the fall,” Murchison says.

Once it debuts, Moody says Barracks Bar will host multiple events geared toward leather and bear enthusiasts and their fans.

He plans to bring his signature Phoenix parties, including Chrome, a long-running leather and fetish event, and high-energy dance night BRÜT, to the venue.

Moody also hopes to bring in larger, nationally known events like House of Leather and Megawoof America, alongside a mix of general LGBTQ and fetish-themed nights.

“We’re going to be a leather/fetish bar with old-school roots and a new-school mentality that also happens to throw big dance parties with great sound systems and full production and lighting,” Moody says. “There aren’t many larger-scale spaces strictly for LGBTQ events in Phoenix, so we’re filling a gap in the community that a lot of people didn’t realize existed.”

Moody adds that events at Barracks Bar will be open to all, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

“If you come in and you’re straight, I don’t care. If you’re a woman, I don’t care. I just ask people to act right. If it turns into a petting zoo, you’ve got to go,” Moody says. “As long as you respect the space, I don’t care who you are. I want you to have a good time.”