Is Queen St Becoming the New Club District?

Every year in Toronto, a shiny new hot nightspot appears on the scene claiming that it will revolutionize the way we party. This time, however, the venues aren’t opening up on King St, they’re opening on Queen.

This past weekend, Toronto saw the openings of both Daisy (563 Queen St W) and Mr. Wolf (567 Queen St W), and many see it as a sign of where the club district is moving.

The concept seems improbable at first, King St has been the center of Toronto Nightlife since the early 2000’s and still is. But with the recent car ban along that stretch and the growing rent hikes for the club owners, more and more clubs are closing in that area. Cure recently closed to make room for a condo, SET, as well a few years ago. Some popular clubs on King St are renting month to month as the building owners are waiting for the last second to put them out for you guessed it, already sold condo development deals. (We cant mention the current clubs as we were told off the record.)

“It really is exciting to see Toronto begin to develop a new club district that is fairer for club owners. You have Simon Says doing well in the area and these 2 clubs opening are going to draw even more clubbers to that part of Queen just north of the club district.” says Richard D from Torontonightclub.com. He’s seen it all the past 2 decades watching new clubs open and close along the way. “The club district moved from Richmond and Adelaide St, to King St, and now I can tell organically due to the city’s residential plan pressures it may be moving to Queen St.”

What was once one of the busiest club districts in North America – King St became a victim of its own success. We’re now witnessing the end of an experiment in concentrating nightlife that probably won’t be repeated in Toronto.

While some would say the idea was fatally flawed to begin with, the club district made for a great night on the town when it worked. It kept the noise away from where people lived downtown and revitalized a desolate post-industrial area in dire need of a second life, and its proximity to the subway helped discourage drunk driving.

Late-night partying will no longer define King St; the new clubs opening up on Queen St will atest to that.