Handsome Boys Resurrecting the '70s at Disco Pig in Larimer Square

Josh Schmitz, founder of Denver's Handsome Boys Hospitality, jumped at the opportunity to create new ventures and venues after many others shut their doors because of the pandemic. Last year, Handsome Boys opened the dive bar Slashers on East Colfax Avenue and the Brit bar Telephone in Lakewood, as well as Hidden Gems Ice Cream and Larimer Wonderland in Larimer Square. While doing so, Schmitz became very aware of the dearth of Denver dance clubs. He hopes to change that with Disco Pig, a new club in Larimer Square.

"It's a super-eclectic, '70s disco vibe," Schmitz says. "It doesn't really make a lot of sense; if I wrote it on paper, there's no way an investor would like it. ... But we really think it's going to set us apart. And right now in Denver, there's not a legit place to just go and dance!"

Enter Disco Pig. Handsome Boys had already leased the space at 1403 Larimer Street, but hadn't come up with the ultimate concept for the location. "We ran two pop-up bars there: Spirit Halloween, which is a Halloween pop-up, and Naughty List, our Christmas pop-up," he recalls. "And we'd been thinking about a permanent fixture this entire time, figuring out what the area was like and what the clientele was like, and eventually settled on Disco Pig."

DJs will spin every night, and the venue will provide residencies. But consistency is key, and Schmitz wants to keep the music in tune with the venue's disco goals. So those DJs will play "disco or house," he says. "It's definitely not open format; no hip-hop. Very future-wave, very disco, very house-y."

There are no plans to host live bands. Instead, there's a "very large DJ booth," he notes. "We'd rather have a bigger dance floor than a stage for live music." And he anticipates that dance floor being filled with a wide-ranging crowd, since people of all ages love to dance.

"Our audience is going to range from anywhere between 65-year-olds and 21-year-olds," he says. "We're within walking distance of the Auraria campus, so I think that we're gonna be a great outlet and new bar for that crowd. But also for bachelorette parties or girls' nights or for people who just want to dance, I think you're going to find yourself at Disco Pig."

As with other Handsome Boys' spots, entry will be free. The club will be open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a grand opening set for Friday, March 4.

"The grand opening is going to look like a lot of dancing," Schmitz says. "We'll serve light snacks and drinks from our cocktail menu. The name Disco Pig comes from the name of one of our signature cocktails."

What's in the Disco Pig? "That's a surprise!" Schmitz says.

Schmitz founded Handsome Boys early last year.  "The pandemic created a really interesting circumstance where the price of entry was so low we just jumped head first at any opportunity that came our way," he says. And Disco Pig is far from the last venue the group plans to open. Another venture, Rino Country Club, is slated to debut on April 7.

But in the meantime, those yearning for a night of dancing to disco will be in hot heaven at Disco Pig.

Disco Pig grand opening, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday, March 4, 1403 Larimer Street. Find out more here.