Paradise (nightclub)

The club is also home to Miss Paradise, an annual drag pageant whose winner is awarded a yearlong in-house show.[8][9][10] The competition was founded in 2000, and the first performer to take the crown was Lady Marisa.[11] Miss Paradise 2018, Honey Davenport, later appeared on the 11th season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[8][10] Sapphira Cristal, who competed in the 2019 pageant, won the national title of Miss'd America later that year.[10][12] The 2020 contest, held just before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey, featured two celebrity judges: Margaret Josephs (of The Real Housewives of New Jersey) and her mother, Marge Sr.[9] There, Miss Paradise 2019, Mancie Mandell, was succeeded by Olivia Lux, who was subsequently cast on the 13th season of Drag Race.[9][13] Mandell's drag daughter, Drag Race season 14 contestant Jasmine Kennedie, performed regularly at Paradise prior to appearing on the show.[14]

Drag show in Paradise's Copper Bar

Asbury Park was a popular destination for LGBT travelers at least as early as the 1930s, when it had a number of underground gay and lesbian bars. Conditions in the city deteriorated after a series of race riots in 1970 and the subsequent onset of the AIDS epidemic, which ravaged the local gay community. Circumstances began to improve in 1991, when New Jersey passed a law barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The state's first Pride celebration was held in Asbury Park the following year, and the town soon saw a boom in LGBT-owned businesses.[15]

In 1998, record producer Shep Pettibone purchased the Empress Hotel and its adjoining nightclub, at which time the facilities had been non-operational for more than a decade.[1][16] Initially, the move was only meant to be a financial investment, but Pettibone decided to target his business toward the LGBT customer base in hopes that this would attract that community back to Asbury Park.[7] He renovated both properties but focused on the club first; renamed Paradise, it opened in May 1999.[1][16][17] The hotel followed in 2004[16][18] or 2005.[17] According to NJ.com, Paradise is one of the oldest continuously operated gay clubs in New Jersey and has played a role in "the revitalization of Asbury Park".[1] The town and its businesses, including well-known locales like The Stone Pony, were still struggling when Paradise opened, and the return of the club and hotel helped boost the local economy.[1][5] It also contributed to the renewal of Asbury Park's popularity as an LGBT destination on the Jersey Shore.[7]

Hurricane Sandy blew the roof off of the Empress in 2012, and during the building's repair process, Pettibone gave Paradise a number of upgrades, including a new dance floor, video displays and laser lights.[5] In the wake of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Paradise and other Asbury Park nightlife venues implemented new security measures, and local law enforcement increased its presence around all queer establishments in the area.[19] In 2017, Paradise was the host venue of the Mr. and Miss Gay United States pageant.[20] Like other bars, clubs and restaurants, Paradise was ordered to close at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey. Traditionally a prime location for Pride festivities, it instead held a virtual celebration in June 2020.[7][21][22] Paradise was able to reopen its tiki bar and pool area for outdoor service in the summer.[7][17]