Coupland Dancehall to Remain Open Amid New Partnership

The legendary Coupland Dancehall in Texas won’t be closing for good after all. Current owner Abbey Road announced the closing of the property in August, and her intention to donate the property to a non-profit after years of dwindling revenue, sagging interest, and skyrocketing costs, and being unable to find a suitor. But the story now comes with a happy ending.

The buzz created in Central Texas from the announced Coupland closing brought a new suitor forward who plans to revitalize the spot, and keep live music happening there into the future. Local promoters Lightstream Presents who work directly with the Cedar Park venue The Haute Spot have decided to step up and help keep the singing, picking, and dancing happening at Coupland.

“Through this new collaboration, Coupland Dancehall—a historic Texas treasure celebrated for its rustic charm, original wooden dance floor, and true honky-tonk spirit—will now benefit from Lightstream’s extensive industry relationships and proven expertise in elevating live music experiences,” the company said in a statement.

Coupland Dancehall is located about 30 miles east of Austin, and had announced their final shows on Friday, October 10th (Roger Creager, Paige Plaisance) and October 11th (Kenny Orts & No Chance). But now the plan is for the dancehall to shut down temporarily, but then re-open on November 7th with Aaron Watson performing.

“THANK YOU to the media for spreading the word and to Facebook for giving us a badge for posting interesting content…” Abbey Road/Coupland Dancehall said. “Because of all the hype about the closing of this dancehall, a fitting buyer found us. We have been working overtime behind the scenes to get a deal done so this dancehall can move forward. This group of music loving, memory making, tip your hat, hold the door kinda folks are gearing up to make some much needed repairs and updates to the dancehall and are bringing a line up of some of the best music makers to Coupland before years end.”

The first building making up the Coupland Dancehall property was originally built in 1904, and became known as the Coupland Drug Company, and later Albers Drug Store before becoming the present day restaurant. The Coupland Tavern was built in 1910, and previously operated as a hardware store and a grocery store before being converted into the 7,000 square foot, 600-capacity dance hall.

Along with hosting some of the biggest names in Texas country music, the space has been the backdrop for numerous films and videos, including the legendary Lonesome Dove. Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hayes Carll, Pat Green, Kevin Fowler, Brennen Leigh, Asleep at the Wheel, and more have filmed videos at Coupland.

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