Lilli’s First-Ever Pop-Up: Queer Joy on the Waterfront
About this Event
Join us Friday, October 2nd at the beautiful Crystal City Water Park in Arlington for an evening of community, drinks, music, queer joy, and celebration—all while helping us raise the funds to open Lilli’s permanent home in Arlington in 2027.
🌈 WHAT IS LILLI’S?
Lilli’s is a lesbian-owned sapphic and queer bar by SC Nealy, LPC coming to Arlington in 2027, created in honor of Dr. Lilli Vincenz, the legendary Arlington lesbian activist, filmmaker, therapist, and civil rights pioneer.
More than 50 years ago, Lilli saw that gay women in Northern Virginia needed somewhere safe to gather—so she opened her own home.
Throughout the 1970s, women gathered at Lilli’s Arlington house for the Gay Women’s Open House, where they could meet, talk, make music, build friendships, and simply be themselves.
Lilli later remembered:
“Lots of women who didn't know where to go… they just wanted to be in a place that was safe, so we provided that.”
Now we're carrying that legacy forward.
And before Lilli’s has walls, tables, barstools, or even a front door, we're bringing our community together the same way Lilli did.
🍸 WELCOME TO LILLI’S—WITHOUT THE WALLS.
For one evening, we're taking over the waterfront and giving you a taste of what the spirit of Lilli’s is all about.
Come with your friends. Come on a date. Come solo and meet somebody new. Come with your children. Come to meet other queer businesses. Allies welcome!
Come celebrate sapphic community, queer history, and the future of queer nightlife in Northern Virginia. We'll have queer vendors, a cash bar, food trucks, and drag shows and live entertainment!
Expect an evening filled with:
🌈 Queer community & connection
🍸 Drinks & food available at the Water Park
🎶 Music & Lilli’s vibes
🏳️🌈 Local LGBTQ+ history
📸 Photo-worthy moments
✨ And a whole lot of queer joy
🏳️🌈 WHY WE'RE FUNDRAISING
We're working to raise $200,000 in grassroots community support to help secure, build, and open Lilli’s permanent home in Arlington. Because it's OUR community, and Lilli's wanted to build a world for all of us.
Every donation, share, and person who shows up gets us one step closer to opening those doors.
This is more than opening another bar.
It's about creating the kind of place Lilli created decades ago: somewhere people can find one another, build community, celebrate who they are, and know they belong.
❤️ BE THERE AT THE BEGINNING.
Someday, we hope you'll walk through the doors of Lilli’s, order your favorite drink, look around at a packed room full of queer joy, and be able to say:
“I was there before Lilli’s even had walls.”
Come help us bring Lilli’s home to Arlington.
Friday, October 2, 2026
📍 Crystal City Water Park | Arlington, VA (Right off the Crystal City Metro)
🌈 Sapphic-centered. Queer. Inclusive. Allies welcome.
Lilli opened her home for us. Now, together, we're opening Lilli’s.
Follow our journey: @lillis.dmv on Instagram and Facebook
Learn more: lillisdmv.com
Donate:
ARE YOU A VENDOR AND WANT TO TABLE?
All vendors sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19q995c-h-eNK2OAJw1_SGQo-R911KNFixZNzXwH415Y/preview
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
