The Wonderland Ballroom

Washington, DC

Field Note

The Wonderland Ballroom opened in Washington DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood only three years after the area’s closest Metro stop was opened. At a time when cab drivers and DC residents had little cause to visit the area, co-owners Matthew McGovern and Rose Donna took a chance and have since been rewarded with over two decades of sustained success that has largely coincided with the upward trajectory of the neighborhood as a whole.

McGovern was a bartender at fellow Washington DC dive bar Madam’s Organ when he met Donna as a patron before ultimately falling in love and getting married. Long intrigued by the idea of opening up a no-frills bar, the two jumped at the chance presented by the closing of long-running gay bar Nob Hill, which had been in operation at the site of what is now The Wonderland Ballroom since 1953. After toying with the idea of smashing their last names together and christening the space McDonna’s, McGovern and Donna leaned into a shared love of Alice in Wonderland as inspiration.

The couple purchased The Wonderland Ballroom’s space in April of 2004 before opening in August of that year, a lightning pace necessitated by the steep financial investment in the business. Momentum built slowly but surely, aided by a handful of other businesses slowly trickling into the area and making it a destination for young singles. Unsure they would make it a full year, McGovern & Donna held a six-month anniversary party.

In keeping with the low-frills nature of the space, McGovern & Donna pulled the bar’s decor from their personal collections and the food menu consisted only of simple grilled items like hot dogs and sausages. As business picked up, the menu evolved, first making a stop at burgers & sandwiches before graduating to the extensive but familiar set of offerings available today that includes a well-loved brunch service on weekends.

Living up to the bar’s slogan of “dining, dancing, delirium,” live DJs can typically be found at The Wonderland Ballroom each weekend, often making use of a second floor space used as a dance floor and private rental option. A long running comedy night is held weekly, as is a fairly intense trivia night that has been a staple of the bar’s Monday night schedule since 2005. Checking the boxes on every great dive bar theme night, The Wonderland Ballroom also hosts a karaoke evening every Tuesday.

Most famous among The Wonderland Ballroom’s events is Sundress Fest, held the first Sunday in June as a fundraiser for local charity DC Central Kitchen. The event has grown over the years, attracting lines around the block and an estimated 1,500 visitors almost entirely decked out in elaborate sundresses (men included of course). Sundress Fest makes great use of The Wonderland Ballroom’s sprawling outdoor space. Once little more than a few chairs behind a chain link fence, the patio area is now a full-on beer garden and one of the best early evening drinking options in the city when weather allows.

While not necessarily an ancient, dusty dive bar, The Wonderland Ballroom pairs an unassuming atmosphere with quality (and largely affordable) food & drink options in a way that is rare for Washington DC. McGovern & Donna have deployed this same model elsewhere in the city, first at the Looking Glass Lounge before selling off that business in 2009 and today at Dew Drop Inn, a similarly attractive bar in the city’s Brookland neighborhood.