After 25 years, Cruz Bay’s iconic Beach Bar announced the end of their live music for the foreseeable future via Facebook. Although their music is temporarily suspended, they are actively working to get it back and will hopefully have some good news soon.

“Unfortunately, we have been forced to cancel our Live Music until further notice. Please know that we have done and are actively doing everything we can to continue offering the stellar entertainment that we have been allowed to offer for the last 25 years. Stay tuned and keep the faith…..”
Beach Bar received an overwhelming amount of love and support on their Facebook post that announced the end of the live music, with over 900 reactions and 450+ comments expressing outrage over the live music cancellation and speculation over who caused it.
They have since posted another update, insisting that no individual business was behind the sudden change and to please not boycott any other businesses in retaliation.
“Please realize that no individual business in Cruz Bay, and that includes our neighbors Karma and Wharfside Village Hotel are responsible. Please don’t punish them on social media or otherwise. And if you can, please remove any negative reviews or comments about them. We don’t want to harm any of them nor impede their success.”
And while it is confirmed that no business was directly behind this sudden cancellation, it is one of a few major changes Cruz Bay has seen in the last couple of years.
Among these changes are the development of the upscale Wharfside Hotel and the introduction of Karma, a Mediterranean fusion restaurant located where the former Rum Hut used to be.
These additions to Wharfside bring an upscale, resort vibe that is very different from the laid-back, relaxed character Love City was always known for.
St. John has a few other places to enjoy live music (list below), but Beach Bar was always the go-to spot after a beach day, a boat trip, or a long shift at work. I spent countless nights there, dancing with friends, strangers who became friends, locals, and tourists alike.
Some of my happiest memories on island were made at Beach Bar, which is why it breaks my heart to think of its stage and dance floor sitting quiet for the foreseeable future.

Interested in supporting local musicians who depend on Beach Bar for regular gigs? Order a “Support Live Music” t-shirt online at their website or in person at the bar. All proceeds will be donated to those musicians affected by the unexpected hiatus.
Where else to see live music on St. John:
Cruz Bay:
Coral Bay:
The full music and event calendar can be found here.
What are some of your favorite music memories at Beach Bar? Let us know below!
This is a developing story and will continue to be updated.
Why is the public not being told the reason for this and what person or group initiated it?
Please investigate and report the reason this is happening. Please!
I have to be careful with what I say at the moment (:
Good news! Too loud so stopped going there.
Sadly, after Covid the whole St John vibe changed. We came every year from 1993-2022 and loved the laid back friendly atmosphere. We were disappointed in the vibe and tourist attitude changes. STJ has just not been the same. While some change is good, going all “bougie” has taken away what made STJ so special.
I agree 110% with you Jamie. Since Covid it’s never been the same. Breaks my heart.
Hate to say it but I have to agree with you. For the first time in over twenty years of 1-2 visits a year we didn’t return last year. Not giving up. Too bad the billionaires are hell bent on ruining a good thing.
Several locals have reported the new owner of Wharfside complained and this is the reason. Why not allow live music til 11pm? That seems reasonable.
You hit the nail on the head, while Beach Bar is trying to stay above the fray, it is Wharfside and Karma that triggered this. First time I’ can say there is a business I will never go to, that being Karma. I just hope “karma” does come back to haunt them.
I agree!
The beach bar is one of the best bars to go to casually after a day at the beach or for music & a burger. This is so disappointing & May affect my future travels to St. John. I usually come once or twice a year but if the island is changing every time I come maybe it’s time to go see some other islands.
Very disappointing
If this continues to happen .. People will stop coming to STJ. Resort type islands are a dime a dozen…. STJ has its own vibe and that’s why it’s so popular. please don’t change it.
You know, we’ve been coming for over 30 years and ALOT has changed but I realize change is inevitable…sometimes a good thing, sometimes not so much. With that being said, I do hope they find a way to allow some music at Beach Bar.
This is beyond sad. Let them have the music! Let us have some fun!
There is no reason that there can’t be a compromise amenable to all after all of these years.
I would just like to know the WHY in this situation!
There’s too much speculation for me to confirm anything right now but I wanted people to still be aware and prepared (when they visited STJ) for no live music at BB
Wharfside and Karma should be boycotted, or perhaps get their own live music instead of trying to hurt the business of Beach Bar.
they won’t be getting my business
While visiting St. John every year we always have ended our days at the Beach Bar. It has such a great vibe. The food and drinks are never disappointing. I will always support local music no matter where it is. The fact that they have had to stop all together is baffling. I hope they reach a compromise. This isn’t only hurting the Beach Bar it has a huge impact on the musicians.
I do agree that St. John has changed some in the last couple of years. We have considered trying other islands. I guess we’ll see what happens. But I really hope St. John doesn’t become a resort mecca.
This is an outrage, and no live music at the Beach Bar is a neutered version of St. John.
We are visiting for the 5th time in March, and if there is no live music there it’s going to completely alter our experience.
I appreciate the Beach Bar management’s efforts to keep things nice, but we absolutely will not eat at Kharma; we will keep our dining dollars with the Terrace, Tapa, and others. Nor will we ever consider Wharfside.
The “upscale vibe” will be the death of an iconic island town. The reason many go to STJ is because of the laid back old style island vibe. Want to do upscale? There are plenty of other islands that have already been ruined as islands of the rich and famous. Go there and leave STJ as it is.
Boycotts and recriminations are not the St. John way
While this is pending, how about a DJ?
Been coming to St John every year for about fifteen years! The vibe is definitely changing…and not for the better! Have reservations for May – definitely won’t go to Karma. Maybe won’t go back to St John. Very sad!
The magic of SJ is Laurence Rockefeller preserving so much of the island not a cover band. As a long time visitor to Coral Bay I miss Sputnik’s and Donkey Diner and Island Blues and Shipwreck and Vies and more but while they’re gone the essential beauty remains.
That’s not to say that Karma is not a bad joke……
St.John is slowly changing from the paradise it used to be!!!
Maho was ruined….. Windmill Bar is now 3 times bigger & now charging for parking….& now no music at the Beach Bar…
Of course it was JD – the owner of WV and BB’s landlord. JD brought in Karma (his signature brand of 2006 tacky) and has been trying to starve out BB for years (without actually evicting them). That’s why no one else in the area has to stop their music. If BB admits this truth online, JD will have a solid reason to evict them. This is common knowledge on the island. JD is desperate. He owes everyone huge amounts of money and has little chance of success. He sits every night watching his cameras and sees BB is packed until 2am while his bars all dwindle and fail – and now Karma is also closed by 9pm. JD wants BB’s business. It’s as simple as that. When he gets it, expect another Karma mess. BB has nothing to lose at this point. They need to go public with their fight and let the dust settle where it may. If JD evicts them, the public outcry will ruin his businesses. JD knows that and Karma is finding this out the hard way. JD’s broke, in debt up to his eyeballs and will likely end up in a jail cell in the next year or so. He has no cash to play a long game. Google and read the lawsuits against him. He is firing shots from behind a house of cards. FIGHT BACK AND END HIS MADNESS. The negative reviews were clearly working as BB had to pull back a day later.
On my first visit to the island I actually preferred Joe’s Rum Hut to BB. They just took it in an entirely different direction post Irma/Maria. I was shocked to see how it had changed after a long hiatus from the island (Irma/Maria & then Covid). I don’t understand why he changed what was a good thing to begin with, and now Karma just looks totally preposterous. Know your audience.
Disappointing
We were married on St John in 2000 and have been down every year since then (and before).
I love the fact that the island is so approachable. We have also been to multiple other islands that have been “touched” by money and are no longer comfortable or affordable to visit.
I know that is cold but so many people love the island’s nature and welcoming atmosphere.
Island residents deserve to earn a good living and maybe the rich bring more $$ but they do not visit the local businesses like we do. New business does benefit St John, but one that is only “useable” by the limited elite, does not benefit enough of the residents.
Perhaps a “scaled down” version would fit in better.
It is not always about the money; it is about a continuance of what Rockerfeller wanted for this beautiful place.
Why refer to Joe DeCourcey as JD? Tell it like it really is! Time to not be afraid of such a loser!
Honestly – I didn’t want to type all of that just to have it blocked by a moderator. These old fingers are knobby and don’t like typing. Otherwise, I think I told it pretty much as it is. Drink, and others, still have music because the law and their landlord say they can. It’s that simple. The same laws also allow Beach Bar to have music. So what’s left? When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. If you still doubt, call the Licensing Department for yoourself. They aren’t taking any heat for this. They’ll say exactly what their position is.
If Beach Bar speaks up in protest, they will be evicted and Karma will spread into their space. BB tried to speak up once before and in less than 24 hours they were begging folks to take down the reviews. In my opinion, one person has singlehandedly ruined STJ. Our house is for sale and when it goes, we go.
Curiosity- what does the JD look like? Any pics?
Your average Joe!
What else does JD own? It may be good to know where to spend our money…or not spend our money.