World Cafe Live at the Queen issued the following statement on its Facebook page.
The statement is believed to have been the basis of an initial DelawareOnline.com report that the venue was closing, A statement from the City 9f Wilmington stated a new operator will manage the venue.
The post is as follows:
This morning we officially announced that World Cafe Live at the Queen in Delaware will close its doors on May 25, 2017. I would like to thank all of our staff, devoted fans and everyone who supported us in Wilmington over the past six years. It has been an honor to “light up the Queen” and bring her majesty back to life in 2011 as a world-class entertainment, dining and events venue. We are proud of the role we have played as a catalyst for revitalizing downtown Wilmington, although we had hoped the downtown renaissance would have grown at a more rapid pace. Despite our best efforts to make the Queen a seven-day-a-week operation like our Philly venue, we have not been able to generate the revenue required to sustain such an ambitious business model.
Our plan now is to focus our efforts on continuing to operate our thriving World Cafe Live venue in Philadelphia as well as to launch “World Cafe Live Presents,” an initiative presenting WCL concerts and events at other venues in and outside the region. This offsite concept is one that has intrigued us for years and we’re excited to start pursuing those opportunities.
Between now and May 25, World Cafe Live at the Queen will continue to present great shows and events, including Marc Broussard, Mothership, Gad Elmaleh, KT Tunstall, this year’s Shine A Light concert fundraiser benefitting the Light Up the Queen Foundation, JD McPherson, Modern Baseball, the Subdudes, James McMurtry, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Carbon Leaf, Drive By Truckers and a few more to be announced soon. To celebrate WCL’s role as a “clubhouse” for the local music community, on May 25 there will be a free final show featuring performances by many of the Brandywine Valley’s most cherished groups and performers.
We look forward to seeing you again in Wilmington on or before May 25th, and hope to see you in Philly again and again for a long time!
