Beloved dance club MJQ Concourse moving from Ponce to Underground Atlanta

March 14th, 2023

Party people at MJQ Concourse. (Darcy Darmody for Oh Snap Kid)

When the story broke last summer that new development was coming to Ponce De Leon Avenue, just up the block from Ponce City Market, many Atlantans began to mourn the loss of some beloved restaurants and bars. Questions were raised about the future of places like The Local, Friends, The Drunken Unicorn and the iconic dance palace known as MJQ Concourse.

The year 2023 marks the 25th and final year that MJQ will occupy 736 Ponce. However, it was recently announced that MJQ will move to Underground Atlanta. The club will take over the vacant spot that was once Dante’s Down the Hatch.

MJQ Concourse Co-Owners Murphy and Ryan Purcell standing in front of the current MJQ location at 736 Ponce de Leon Ave. (Courtesy of Ryan Purcell)

In this interview, “City Lights” senior producer Kim Drobes speaks with MJQ Co-Owners Ryan Purcell and Murphy about the move into one of our city’s most unusual spaces.