You will never speak of what happens at The Castle Credit: Photo by Drunk Camera Guy
As the quieting of Ybor City creeps forward, one bastion of freakyness holds strong. The Castle—once a labor union hall—started operating as a ground-level saloon in the early-’90s and is now the official clubhouse of leather-clad, whip-wielding partygoers and goth hotties who now get to rage on every level of the iconic nightclub.

The Castle and its denizens have outlasted other clubs (Tracks, the Masquerade) that were once home to counterculture and remained true to themselves in spite of the addition of Centro Ybor and the latest effort to diversify the entertainment district. DJ Tom Gold leads a lineup of Castle OGs for this birthday party.

Cover for The Castle 31st Anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 25 in Ybor City is $20-$25.

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This article appears in Nov 16-22, 2023.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...