Live music venue Star Community Bar is closing after 35 years in Little Five Points. But another local music spot will take over the space early next year.
First reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Star Community Bar, known locally as Star Bar, will close for good on Dec. 31. Star Bar, which featured early concerts from bands like Mastodon and Drive-By Truckers, also announced the closure in an Oct. 29 Instagram post.
Listening room Red Light Café, currently based at Amsterdam Walk on the border of Virginia-Highland and Morningside, will take over the space in January.
“The time has come for us to pass it on,” said Star Bar co-owner Luke Lewis in a statement to Rough Draft Atlanta. “The bar has always historically had challenges, being a live music venue.”
“With COVID-19, and then a lot of the film production leaving Atlanta, [it] made things even more difficult. So it was time for us to pass the torch on and go to the next thing,” Lewis added.
It’s for real this time
Star Bar closed once before, when former owner Kahle Davis announced plans to shut down the venue at the end of 2019. The bar reopened in 2021 under the new ownership of Lewis and three other co-owners. Then, in 2022, Atlanta developers Third & Urban almost demolished the bar to build a mixed-use development, but terminated the contract after the community rallied around Star Bar.
Lewis said he was proud to help keep the Atlanta institution alive for a little while longer.
“It was a great honor and a pleasure to be a part of the history of the Star Bar for the years that we were able to be a part of it,” he said.
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What’s next
Red Light Café is currently located in the Amsterdam Walk development near Piedmont Park. Its relocation to Little Five Points next year comes down to a controversial redevelopment project from Atlanta developer Portman Holdings.
According to an Instagram post from Red Light Café, the deal between the two music venues is set to close some time in January 2027. The listening room will close at Amsterdam Walk on Dec. 31. Look for an announcement from Red Light Café on its official reopening date on social media soon.
The post did offer some clues about what people can expect from the merging of the two spaces under Red Light Café. At present, there are no plans to make any changes to the building.
“Yes, the Elvis Shrine stays. Yes, the Little Vinyl Lounge stays. And yes, we’re bringing our Wednesday Jazz Jam, Tease Tuesday, Electro Lounge and all your other [Red Light Café] favorites along for the ride,” the Red Light Café post reads. “We’re incredibly excited about what’s ahead and honored to help carry forward 35 years of Star Bar history.”
Kelly Stocks, President of the Little 5 Points Cultural District said the neighborhood is sad to see Star Bar go, but happy to welcome Red Light Café.
“Places like the Star Bar are what give Little 5 Points its character, and preserving that history and culture is exactly why we created the L5P Cultural District,” Stocks said. “You can’t replace the Star Bar, and we wouldn’t want anyone to try. But there’s always room for more weird in Little 5 Points, and we’re excited to see what Red Light Café brings to the neighborhood.”
Star Bar is hosting its 35th anniversary party this Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m. There’s a $20 cover charge to attend.
Star Community Bar, 437 Moreland Ave., Little Five Points. Closing Dec. 31, 2026.
