Photos: The Masquerade Atlanta through the years

Metro Atlanta

Atlanta Rewind: The Masquerade through the years

The Masquerade Atlanta, a popular music venue, is closing its North Avenue location and moving to Underground Atlanta. Here are photos through the years.

The then-new Masquerade nightclub, located at the site of the old Excelsior Mill on North Avenue in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, as it looked in 1989 when it opened. The club's rooms were dubbed Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. READ MORE: Masquerade move delayed by construction

1989 -- Dean Riopelle, owner of the Masquerade, poses in the part of the club that retained some of the equipment from the old Excelsior Mill.

If you wanted to see big-name acts in an intimate -- like, seriously intimate -- setting, The Masquerade was the place to be. Here, Public Enemy rappers Chuck D., left, and Flavor Flav entertain an energetic Masquerade crowd in 1992.

During the height of the alternative rock/grunge scene, the Masquerade thrived. Here's bartender Cathy Barrett showing off some of the club's libations in 1989.

1989 -- Original caption: "J.J. Howley, head of security at the Masquerade nightclub, wipes down one of the bars at the new night spot."

1997 -- Masquerade nightclub dancers Angeline Whitworth and Saad Kvetka dance to big band music at one of the nightclub's Swing Sundays. The Midtown club started offering sounds from the '40s when the swing dance craze hit Atlanta.

2001 -- Andre Hochlenert of Chattanooga holds his broken nose while favoring his broken right arm as he walks out of The Masquerade with his friend Lindsey Woolwine. Hochlenert was on a stairwell leading from the first to the second floor when it collapsed. Atlanta fire officials cited The Masquerade for a number of violations.

2001 -- Patrons of The Masquerade walk down the club's outside stairs after a stairwell leading from the first to the second floor collapsed. According to authorities, broken ankles were the worst injuries from the event. The Fire Marshal was checking to see if the club was overbooked.

2003 -- The crowd gets into the show as the Circle Jerks perform in Masquerade's Heaven.

2004 -- The Last Dance including Rick Joyce, left front, takes the stage in Hell at Masquerade during the Atlantis Music Conference.

2005 -- In full costume, 20-year-old Sean George, left, of Atlanta, and Cameron Leyda, 23, right, of Decatur, enjoy the alternative '80s music at the Black Heart Ball in Masquerade's Hell.

2008 -- Dave Cook of Suwanee carries a severed head as he walks along Moreland Avenue on October 26. Over 300 people dressed as zombies walked along North Avenue from the Masquerade. The Zombie Walk marked the end of the weekend-long Atlanta Horrorfest III at the club.

2009 -- The Masquerade Music Park hosted an attempt to break the record for the world's largest water balloon fight. They didn't quite make it, but spirits were still high afterward. “I don’t think we broke the record, but we had a really good time,” Jaynie Coffee of Door 44, a club in Midtown, told the AJC.

2014 -- Dave Weil (center), Jeff Bradley and David Watkins from the Blacktop Rockets perform on stage during the Atlanta Winter Beerfest at the Masquerade.

The Masquerade, a long-time music venue on Atlanta's North Avenue, includes three music stages, named Purgatory, Heaven and Hell. The owner of the club had planned to move the operation to a new building on the city's Westside, but the project was delayed. MATT KEMPNER / AJC

The Masquerade, a long-time music venue on North Avenue in Atlanta, has a gritty appeal. The owner planned to move the club to the city's Westside in August of 2016. But the project was delayed. A builder filed suit to stop the venue from locating near half-million-dollar homes he has underway. MATT KEMPNER / AJC

1/16

The then-new Masquerade nightclub, located at the site of the old Excelsior Mill on North Avenue in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, as it looked in 1989 when it opened. The club's rooms were dubbed Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. READ MORE: Masquerade move delayed by construction

Today's Gallery Headlines

Pelicans vs Hawks game

PHOTOS: Hawks defeat Pelicans

Pelicans vs Hawks game

PHOTOS: Trae Young reportedly traded to Wizards

aajc 010626 tech syracuse basketball

PHOTOS: Georgia Tech's comeback falls short in loss to Syracuse in ACC basketball

Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints

PHOTOS: Falcons defeat Saints to win season finale

More Galleries

World Cup draw party TKTKT

PHOTOS: Fans attend 2026 World Cup draw party in Atlanta

Randy Beck

'No body' homicide cases in Georgia

Stitch rendering 2025

PHOTOS: Renderings of Stitch project over Atlanta's Downtown Connector

People are silhouetted against a huge Pride flag before the start of the Atlanta Pride Parade on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

Photos: Atlanta Pride Parade 2025