The faces of Las Rosas’ one-year anniversary party

Local watering hole and music venue Las Rosas reopened in August 2025 after going dark for several years due to the effects and aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the iconic rock dive bar has once again carved out a safe haven for Miami’s local music and creative scene.

This past weekend, Las Rosas celebrated one year since its reopening with a robust lineup of local bands, plenty of familiar faces and even a mechanical gator for the Florida swamp goths to ride.

But beyond the bands and the props, the anniversary was a celebration of the community that has reclaimed Las Rosas as its own over the past year.

For director of programming Nayra Serrano, keeping the venue connected to Miami’s local music scene has been central to its return.

“It is really important to have the local appeal, and that is the soul of this place,” Serrano told New Times. Her approach to booking has been to create what she describes as “some sort of mixtape,” bringing different genres, bands and audiences together while giving local musicians an open platform to perform and connect.

That sense of reunion was apparent from the moment Las Rosas reopened. Assistant general manager Lex Borges remembers opening day as one of the most emotional moments of the past year, in part because it brought back people she hadn’t seen in more than three years.

Since then, things have rarely been dull. Among Borges’ other favorite memories? Watching wrestlers “get the beat out of them” during the venue’s wrestling events.

For general manager Adrian Castro, who was a Las Rosas regular long before joining its team, the venue’s role remains much the same as it was before the closure.

“What Las Rosas represents is the same thing it represented back then,” Castro says. “We are accepting and inclusive, again, to the entire community.”

One year into its second life, that community showed up to celebrate. New Times was there to capture some of the musicians, artists, regulars and familiar faces who have made Las Rosas a unique place to be.