New 160-capacity venue launches in New York, Club Rawhide

A brand new queer club has opened in Chelsea, Manhattan, paying homage to the area’s first-ever gay bar.

According to a 2025 report from What Now, the venue comes from Bob Fluet, Rob Hynds, and Raymond Geerlof, who own several queer sports bars across New York under the name Boxers NYC.

Named Club Rawhide in tribute to the long-running, 1979-opened gay bar Rawhide, the new space is said to have a capacity of just 160 and bears no affiliation with the original venue, per Resident Advisor.

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Club Rawhide opened last weekend with line-ups featuring Kevin Aviance, The Carry Nation, Junior M., Miss Parker, Stiletto and more, with debut nights running from June 11 - 13.

The club takes over a private men’s club on West 26th St., with an aim to “reimagine” the legacy of New York nightlife and “honour the clubs and culture that defined Chelsea”.

According to Resident Advisor, the venue features an installation from Michael Musto in tribute to nightlife in Chelsea, and a custom soundsystem designed by Scott Clungan.

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A clubber who shared their first-hand account of the new space on Reddit described the venue’s "‘90s era-themed walls" and its "rather busy" back room, also confirming that the space is "leather friendly".

"Went to the opening of the new Rawhide, and right off the bat, you can tell it's honouring the history of NYC nightlife with mentions of iconic institutions like Limelight," they wrote. "It won't be the old Rawhide, but I think it can make its mark on NYC gay nightlife."

Find out more about Club Rawhide here.

[Via Resident Advisor]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Associate Digital Editor