PILSEN — The “loud, wild, and loaded with love” Barn Dance Apocalypse is coming to Thalia Hall in November.
In celebration of the event's 10th anniversary, The Golden Horse Ranch Band will host their first-ever public Barn Dance Apocalypse Nov. 8 at the Pilsen venue, 1807 S. Allport St.
The barn dance began as a gathering of the band’s friends at the now-closed Open End Gallery on the city’s Near West Side, said band member Jeanine O’Toole. Since then, it’s grown to welcome huge crowds at secret locations around Chicago.
When the Chicago-based band toured the unfinished Thalia Hall last year, they knew the old dance hall would make the perfect location for their next barn dance.
The band is led by third-generation square dance caller Annie Coleman, who grew up calling dances at her grandparents' dude ranch, after which the band is named.
O’Toole said they expect a crowd of more than 500 at the square dance, decked out in Western gear. Tickets are on sale now.
“It’s a beautiful, communal party. People come to dance with the people that they came with, and end up dancing with strangers, too,” O’Toole said of the barn dance.
She added: "It's loud, wild, and loaded with love, with a strong queer following."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
