St. Pete's annual Pride celebration is right around the corner, and a new spot to pre-game the parade just opened its doors in the waterfront town of Gulfport.
Zipperz—formerly known as "Pepperz" before it shut down in 2020—recently opened at 4918 22nd Ave. S, right around the corner from popular music venue The Blueberry Patch.
General Manager Tom Grant tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that while his bar is LGBTQ-operated and covered in Pride colors, folks from all walks of life are invited to share drinks and take up space on Zipperz' massive dance floor.
Gulfport's newest hotspot offers all of the expected beers, wines and cocktails, in addition to weekly specials that pay homage to now-closed gay bars in St. Pete. Zipperz offers massive Long Island iced teas on Thursdays in honor Georgie's Alibi and 32-ounce margaritas on Tuesdays, just like St. Pete's Flamingo's Resort—where Grant worked for several years—used to feature.
Alongside regular bar festivities, Grant says that Zipperz will host a variety of events—from drag performances to bingo, DJs and more. Unlike its predecessor Pepperz, this new Gulfport bar offers a variety of bar games like skee-ball and pool.
The Zipperz crew will also walk in Gulfport's Pride parade happening on Saturday, June 3.
For the latest updates on Zipperz and all if its upcoming events, head to its Facebook page.
It's open in Gulfport from 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday.
New LGBTQ-friendly bar Zipperz makes its debut in Gulfport
Folks may remember it as 'Pepperz' pre-pandemic.
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