Hooch and Hive 1001 W Cass St., Tampa Hooch spent six years building its reputation for hosting great local and touring concerts nearly every night of the week while serving innovative bar fare and the best palomas in town. The venue hosted its last show just before the new year and is now home to college sports bar The Lucky Spartan. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker

Hooch and Hive has spent the last six years working on a well-earned reputation for being a surefire spot to catch local and touring bands on nearly any night of the week. That work ends on Jan. 1

In a statement to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Hooch and Hive’s “Spiritual Janitor” Dean Rosenberger wrote that the venue finds itself unable to continue in its current location.

“Unfortunately, as the saying goes, ‘money talks,’ and we’ve reached a point where it is no longer sustainable to host live music here,” he added.

Hooch’s last show before the new year will be the Brokenmold Entertainment Annual Holiday Party set for Friday, Dec. 27. There are just two shows announced at Hooch for 2025, and they will have to find new venues.

“We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all the amazing artists, musicians, poets, creatives, party-goers, fans, and family who have made Hooch such a special place. To our staff past and present—thank you for your passion, resilience, and for fighting the good fight. It was a great run battling and winning in spite of road closures, covid and more,” the statement said. “While this chapter may be coming to a close, the memories we’ve created will live on. Thank you for being part of our journey and for supporting the magic of live music and community.”

New owners of the venue at 1001 W Cass St. have not been confirmed, but there is a rumor that it is Green Iguana Restaurant Entertainment Group LLC, which also runs Hula Bay, Green Iguana, and The Retreat near University of Tampa.

A rep for the company would not yet comment.

Hooch and Hive’s imminent closure is another bruise on the downtown core’s live music scene. While there are small venues and bars like The Hub that host live music downtown, none did it like Hooch and Hive, which featured one of the best sound systems in Tampa, and a killer kitchen, and a bar staff that made one hell of a paloma, among other libations.

Now, the next closest, small-ish, live music venue is Crowbar, less than three miles east in Ybor City. After that, live music goers looking for a small-to-mid-size venue would have to go to New Brewery’s music hall in Sulphur Springs, or Orpheum and Skipper’s Smokehouse—both 11 miles away.

“We still have time to celebrate everything that Hooch has stood for! We encourage everyone to take full advantage of the incredible shows, events, and happenings we have left on the schedule. Let’s make these final moments together unforgettable,” Rosenberger added.

This is a developing story.

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