The Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts (Facebook | Website) closed up shop in Winter Park in late December citing rising rent costs and a clash with their new landlords.
Back in 2015, Blue Bamboo converted a 4,000 warehouse near Lombardi’s Seafood at 1905 Kentucky Avenue [GMap] into a live music venue where they hosted regular live concerts and performances. According to a story by Orlando Weekly’s Matthew Moyer, the building was purchased in 2023, and the new owners increased the rent a reported three-fold.
Fast forward to December 2023 when Blue Bamboo announced on social media that it had secured a new home in the Packing District, just west of College Park, at 2586 N. Orange Blossom Trail [GMap]. The last scheduled event in the Winter Park venue was December 23.
Dr. Phillips Charities owns the 6,000 SF building on OBT, which is currently being prepped to house Blue Bamboo sometime in mid-2024. In the interim, Blue Bamboo will be hosting programming at Casa Feliz, Crealde School of Art, and Winter Park Library.
Donations for the buildout of the new space are currently being accepted HERE.
I have helped Chris and Melody Cortez in their search for a new and better home. If we can get all of the requisite improvements approved and funded, the new building will become the finest source of live music in Central Florida.