Toronto nightclub El Convento Rico abruptly closes after 35 years
Posted October 2, 2026 4:57 pm.
Last Updated October 3, 2026 3:21 pm.
An iconic Toronto nightclub that served as a hotspot for the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ and Latin community, abruptly shuttered this week after 35 years.
In a statement shared late Thursday evening on social media, the owner of El Convento Rico announced the sudden closure of the longtime College Street establishment due to circumstances they claimed were beyond their control.
“Tonight, we say goodbye to 750 College St. – a place that became so much more than four walls. It became a home, a stage, a refuge, a family, and a place where so many of us were able to laugh, dance, love, celebrate, and simply be ourselves,” the post read.
Since 1992, El Convento Rico had served as a popular nightspot in Little Italy that played a mix of Latin and Top 40 music. It also hosted a midnight drag show that featured dozens of local performers for more than three decades.
The club had been selling tickets for events slated to happen on Friday and Saturday, which have since been cancelled.
The sudden and unexpected closure elicited a strong reaction from Canada’s Drag Race star Van Goth, who recalled “many memorable nights” playing some of her first gigs at the underground nightclub.
“The news about Rico’s closing is very sad,” the artist told CityNews. “Nightlife, and specifically queer nightlife, has taken hit after hit since the pandemic and with the current political climate it’s disheartening to see a space that has been a staple in Toronto for 35 years close down.”
Other patrons also responded with shock and sadness, noting a “massive loss for the community.”
In a second social media post shared late Friday evening, the club’s owner shed more light on the circumstances leading to the closure.
“The changes in the economy, rising costs and the increasing challenges of operating a business have made these past few years extremely difficult,” the post read. “Despite everything, we continued to fight to keep our doors open.”
The post then alluded to a spat between the club’s owner and the property’s landlord.
“After paying millions of dollars in rent over more than 35 years, building El Convento Rico into a home and gathering place for our community, it is heartbreaking that our landlord was unwilling to work with us or show any compassion during such a difficult time,” the read.
The property’s landlord could not be reached for comment.
