DC’s Drafthouse Comedy permanently closes because of pandemic

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened Drafthouse Comedy at 1100 13th St. in Northwest D.C. four years ago. (Credit: Google Street View)

D.C. comedy club Drafthouse Comedy in the downtown area has closed permanently due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

“Under current circumstances with COVID-19 limitations in Washington, D.C., we are not legally allowed to operate the business,” the company said in an email to patrons. “The burden of continued business obligations — specifically rent, utilities, licenses and insurance — has been too difficult to continue operations.”

The owners have reached an agreement with the landlord in D.C., and have mutually agreed to close the location, it said.

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened Drafthouse Comedy at 1100 13th St. in Northwest D.C. four years ago.

Cinema & Drafthouse, a restaurant and bar that hosts live comedy shows, as well as movies, in a 1930s theater on Columbia Pike in Arlington remains open with limited capacity.

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened in 1985.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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