Skip to main content

DC’s Drafthouse Comedy permanently closes because of pandemic

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened Drafthouse Comedy at 1100 13th St. in Northwest D.C. four years ago. (Credit: Google Street View)

D.C. comedy club Drafthouse Comedy in the downtown area has closed permanently due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

“Under current circumstances with COVID-19 limitations in Washington, D.C., we are not legally allowed to operate the business,” the company said in an email to patrons. “The burden of continued business obligations — specifically rent, utilities, licenses and insurance — has been too difficult to continue operations.”

The owners have reached an agreement with the landlord in D.C., and have mutually agreed to close the location, it said.

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened Drafthouse Comedy at 1100 13th St. in Northwest D.C. four years ago.

Cinema & Drafthouse, a restaurant and bar that hosts live comedy shows, as well as movies, in a 1930s theater on Columbia Pike in Arlington remains open with limited capacity.

Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse opened in 1985.

Opening arguments set to begin in Meta’s federal trial over child harms

Oakland, Calif. (AP) — Opening arguments are set to kick off Tuesday in a pivotal trial for Meta Platforms in a California federal court. Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking extensive financial damages plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states sued the tech giant in 2023 over child safety and privacy — the other 25 will go to trial later. The company also faces lawsuits in state courts. The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also argues that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law. “This week, we’re in court with the largest consumer protection lawsuit in American history. We’ll show a jury that Meta concealed what it knew about the harm its products cause young people because looking away was more profitable,” said Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman in a statement.
Read Next Story