As depicted in the movie The Cotton Club, during the 1920s and 1930s, the Cotton Club was a popular nightclub in New York where only the most talented African Americans could perform. Here at UIUC, Cotton Club has become a major annual event not only for African American students, but for the entire community. In the past, Cotton Club was held for one night only in the Illini Union. Due to its outstanding reputation and growing popularity throughout the campus and community, it has outgrown the Illini Union Rooms, seating 500, and is now held in Foellinger Auditorium, which seats 1,750. The Central Black Student Union is the major organizing force behind Cotton Club.
Work begins early, usually at the end of the fall semester, for the show in the spring.