The Rabbithole To Wonderland Has Opened: The Concourse Dance Bar Is Back
If you’re looking for something surreal, whimsical, and fun then the reenvisioned Concourse Dance Bar might be right up your alley.
We did not have the chance to experience Concourse Dance Bar before its closing due to the pandemic but everyone we know did as “the fun place with the fun ball pit.”
Good news: It’s open. In even better news, FCM Hospitality spent time reimagining it because having the only pool where “friends can frolic together amidst bubble-like balls” wasn’t obviously enough. We thank them for their creativity and service because it feels like a very modern-day, extra Alice in Wonderland, from start to finish.
The first order of business is finding the entrance on 17th Street, which feels weird in itself because it’s an office building, so we found it cool that they have a dance bar in their basement (such a better use of space, in our opinion.
Options for entrance include jumping into this dark hole OR taking the stairs. The decision lies in your hands (or legs).
If you take the stairs Disco Giraffe will be there to greet you.
The main dance area in front of the DJ booth is spacious, with a design either intended to or accidentally mimicking Twister.
The vibe is playful, casual, and built for fun. There’s no dress code, no bottle service, and the beats are a nostalgic mix of throwback hits from the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s spun by a rotating lineup of guest DJs.
The bar area as you can see is VERY spacious, with 2 long bars along the wall.
The menu is short and sweet – exactly what you’d want when trying to juggle your entire posse’s needs.
There’s unexpected art everywhere. Also hoping she didn’t cry in the bathroom.
This vintage photo booth feels GENUINELY vintage – it took a while for the photo to come out. Feed it $5 via a credit card to see it for yourselves. It was worth it to us because it looked so cool.
Take the Plunge—Literally. Because, as Rianna would say, this is what you came for. It’s the ball pit, or should we say the pool? The iconic, Instagram-ready ball pit, “designed for a group of up to 20 friends, has its own set of “pool rules,” so leave your drinks behind before diving in. Think of it as a bubble bath of fun.
No ball pool is complete without neon lighting and a wall sculpture crafted from Styrofoam pool noodles to round out the vibes.
Past the ball pool is the back bar, boasting an eye-catching installation of Slinkys hanging from the ceiling, adding a layer of playful nostalgia, or if you found them annoying, the perfect place for them to exist.
If you find the slinkys eh, check out the retro, millennial-inspired dollhouse. Those cars on the wall? They are Barbies, making their way to the various house parties happening in the dollhouse. Each door opens a new scene featuring cheeky vignettes featuring Barbies, Buzz Lightyear, and more.
On the opposite wall is a doorway into the Ice room, a 1,000-square-foot bar completely made of ice, where artist Peter Slavin aka ice ice Philly has chiseled iconic Philly imagery into the frozen décor. BUNDLE UP because damn, it’s SO COLD in there.
On the OTHER side of the room is the opportunity to take a trip of the non-freezing kind: The Mushroom Room! AA trip into this black-lit wonderland is like stepping into the “cut from the final cut” scene from Alice in Wonderland. After all, don’t we all want to feel like we’ve tumbled down the rabbit hole into a surreal, glowing garden? No? Just us?
Okay so now, meet the 2nd story of Concourse Dance Bar. It’s high up, overlooks the dance floor and has its own bar.
So to recap because that’s a lot: the overall vibe is playful with no dress code and no bottle service. And we’re okay with that experience because options are good.
