Downtown Orlando’s Independent Bar reverts to classic ‘Barbarella’ moniker

“What’s in a name?” Readers [and writers, full disclosure] of a certain age will be pleasantly surprised by the announcement this week that downtown Orlando’s Independent Bar has changed its name back to the iconic Barbarella moniker. If they’re anything like us, the news will have them lost in a nostalgic haze for at least an hour.

A simple, yet splashy, Facebook post on May 4 revealed the name change and accompanying signage to a positive reaction.

Beyond the signage, not much else physically about the club will change. And a scan of their events calendar doesn’t indicate any particular shift in musical direction as of this writing, though that’s understandable given that weekly club nights like Saturday Night New Wave and Mac & Cheese on Wednesdays are reliable floor-fillers.

And yet, we’re betting the new/old name might draw some folks in for a nostalgic drink or three, as they get lost in a reverie of a very different time in downtown Orlando’s life cycle.

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This article appears in May 5-11, 2021.