The Elbo Room Livestream: How a Florida Bar Became the Internet's Favorite Reality Show

The bar has multiple cameras covering different spots, including the beach, band area, and the main bar.

Florida residents have discovered a new form of entertainment - watching a local bar's livestream. Rather than going out, viewers are choosing to tune in from home to observe the happenings at The Elbo Room bar in Fort Lauderdale.

The establishment began streaming its daily events and staff activities in 1996 as a way to maintain connections with customers, and it rapidly gained popularity.

Currently, people are watching bartenders preparing drinks, spontaneous dance competitions, and various other activities, frequently commenting in real-time and sharing video clips on social media.

According to The NY Post, a social media user named Courtney shared videos from the Elbo Room featuring what she describes as her favorite show.

In her initial video, she demonstrates how she displays the livestream on her television and watches the bar patrons as they socialize and interact with each other.

Since the livestream does not include audio, Courtney's videos show her speculating about what the people in the bar might be saying or doing. Some viewers describe it as simultaneously the best and worst idea ever, while others praise the Elbo Room livestream as exceptional entertainment.

People at home can view all of this for free on YouTube, but without sound. If they wish to hear the audio, they can purchase a "BandCam+" subscription for $2.99 monthly, which also provides access to the second-floor bar camera.

The bar has multiple cameras covering different spots, including the beach, patio, band area, and the main bar.

The Elbo Room is not unique in this practice. Dirty Harry's in Key West also offers livestreams, and Sloppy Joe's has even created its own "Sloppy Joe's Bingo," an entertaining crowd-watching game developed by the Regulation Podcast team.

Additionally, there is a bar called Woodys in Liverpool that broadcasts live every night.

Elbo Room on Fort Lauderdale Beach, established in 1938, was the first commercial establishment worldwide to stream LIVE with cameras over the internet in 1996.