In Need of Some Cheer
Iconic Austin venue Cheer Up Charlie's requests funds to avoid closure
Cheer Up Charlie's during the Front Festival.
Update: As of August 23, Cheer Up Charlie's has hit its fundraising goal. "HUGE thank you from the Cheer Ups staff!!!" they posted. "We are in talks with Council members about becoming designated as a legacy business and have many new friends & opportunities on the horizon [...]"
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Austin's leading LGBTQIA+ venue for live music and events, Cheer Up Charlie's, may be days from vacating its home at 900 Red River St., according to a long Instagram post by the business. It currently risks being locked out on August 31. However, two fundraisers are already more than halfway to their respective goals.
According the fundraisers on Ko-fi and GoFundMe, Cheer Up Charlie's is about two months behind on rent, totaling $58,000.
The Ko-fi fundraiser has reached about $42,000 at the time of this article's publication, and the GoFundMe fundraiser has raised more than $12,000. That's enough to cover all but the final $4,000, but the total goal between both funds is $76,000 — the Ko-fi goal was the cost of the rent, and a message posted on GoFundMe explains that the additional platform was added because the original campaign was under review for raising funds too fast.
Challenges of running an Austin venue
The Instagram post characterizes the summer of 2025 as "very slow" and implies that only weekends are bringing in substantial revenue: "For those who see our videos of packed out weekend nights, just know that a venue our size cannot operate and be sustainable on just 2 nights a week." It also reports an "almost non-existence" of weekday foot traffic.
The post goes on to discuss the challenges of operating a venue in Austin while counteracting development and other shifting forces in entertainment — something Austinites are likely getting used to reading about coming from other local venues like The Parish and Outer Heaven, or even entire neighborhood nonprofits like the Red River Cultural District, where Cheer Up Charlie's is located.
"Cheer Ups should be a red herring for anyone worried about how the chips are going to fall here in Texas and especially in regards to the local music industry here in Austin in the coming years," reads the post, perhaps misunderstanding the literary term "red herring," which usually refers to a distraction. "We’ve done and are doing everything we can to enlist emergency fundraising but we also get it. That this just might be the end."
Despite the apparent mix-up, Cheer Up Charlie's has been a red herring for some Austinites discussing the viability of downtown entertainment venues. As the business points out, passers by do notice a seemingly thriving venue on the weekends, and it regularly participates in events like Hot Summer Nights, South by Southwest (SXSW), and various queer, feminist, and other progressive rallies. Although it seems like one of the city's most prosperous businesses, the numbers aren't cutting it.
"We hope you’ve had as much fun as we have and we want to keep the space open as a reminder of what Austin was and what it can one day be again maybe," the post says. "Which is ummm… not run by influencers but run by artists."
Public response
This isn't the first time the venue has had a high-profile move. It originally made a name for itself on East Sixth Street in 2009, immediately overcame a potential closure, and first arrived on Red River in 2014. (The Red River lot also has its own queer history reaching back to 1982.)
Some fans, like Becky Bullard of civic action event organizer Democrasexy, contributed short and sweet supportive messages: "I hope the generosity you’ve shown the community comes back 1000-fold." Drag performer Laganja Estranja also contributed, "Heartbreaking!!! I was so hoping to perform here [...]"
Others had mixed reactions. Much of the discourse expresses frustration with the business asking for donations after letting bills pile up, as well as doubt about management practices.
Some of the most popular comments — judging by their hundreds of likes so far — called for transparency with raised funds ("[If] crowdfunding is going to happen, relying on your (mostly) financially struggling community members for aid ... [itemized expenses] should be shared with us") and defending the business by pointing out external stressors ("You have to then factor in shrinkage, the reduced post COVID patronage that also stems from a generational shift away from a culture of heavy drinking and partying, the unique plight of Austin summer time [entertainment] venues losing a lot of college patrons, inflating supplies cost...").
One popular suggestion asked the business to partner with a coffee shop to make use of the space during the daytime, and multiple called for more food trucks on the premises.
What's next
Although it certainly seems like Cheer Up Charlie's will raise enough to cover its back pay, the open invitation from the post remains to stop by between now and the possible closing date to celebrate 16 years in business. Events left on the calendar include a "Sapphic Takeover" with Viper Lepore on August 22, an ATX Trans Pride event August 23, and a "Drag, Music & Night Market" event August 28.
Cheer Up Charlie's is located at 900 Red River St. and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 pm to 2 am, Fridays and Saturdays from 4 pm to 2 am, and Sundays from 4 pm to 1 am.
The 37th Street Lights are a weird Austin tradition dating back some 40 years. Photo from 37th Street Lights Facebook
A crafts station from last year's Downtown Holiday Stroll. Photo by Marina Wanders
Shannon and the Clams are among many artists performing at the 10-hour-long Holiday Hootenanny. Photo courtesy of Holiday Hootenanny 
Interior of the original Lala's Little Nugget, decorated for Christmas year-round. Courtesy of FBR Management