Drink.
No matter where you are in New York City, there’ll be a gay bar in walking distance. Some places have a lone gay venue, while there are several gayborhoods where you’ll find loads more than one.
It all started in Greenwich Village back in the 1960s. But why would gays only want to stick to one area of New York City? There are still a few bars there, but bar-hopping around the city is stacks more fun.
Hell’s Kitchen is the place with the most venues; you could bar hop in one night and still not make it to all of them. What makes HK even more appealing is that it’s next door to Times Square and Broadway, and ‘Restaurant Row,’ so a complete night out can be had without leaving the gayborhood.
Other hubs, such as Brooklyn, Chelsea, Queens, and the East Village, have something to suit every gay man’s taste.
Tourist attractions are spread out across the city; famous buildings like the Empire State and the Rockefeller Center are in Midtown, the Twin Towers are in the Financial District, and the Statue of Liberty is on Staten Island. Central Park separates the upper east and west sides..
The main attractions are drag, games, DJ-led dance parties, all-sports, Broadway show tunes, karaoke, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race viewing nights. So get out and go gay in NYC.
Filter your night
Lips Drag Queen Show Palace is the pinnacle of drag entertainment in New York City. It’s located in Midtown East, steps away from The Rockefeller Center.
It’s all about drag here; dinner and show happen six nights a week, plus weekend brunches. Expect bitchy entertainment, divas galore, Broadway rips, and Golden Ticket karaoke.
Doors open Tuesdays to Thursdays at 6.45 pm and 11.15 am on Weekends. Bookings are essential.
Facilities: Bar, Restaurant, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke
The Excelsior Bar was a Brooklyn favorite gay venue for 20 years. When it closed down, it was taken over by Good Judy, which still pays tribute to its former past. Today, the venue is a lounge, piano bar, and dance party venue, with different events every night of the week, from drag shows to cabaret nights and piano sing-a-longs.
The operating hours fluctuate during the week. From Mondays to Thursdays, they are 5 pm—2 am, Fridays and Saturdays, 5 pm—4 am, and Sundays, 3 pm—2 am.
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke
Club Cumming in the East Village is a stylish and unique bar owned by actor Alan Cumming. The venue features a range of performance art from the classy to the downright disreputable. There are jazz nights, burlesque, drag shows, and anatomy drawing classes.
Club Cumming has a range of opening hours. Tuesdays to Thursdays, 6 pm to 2 am; Mondays and Fridays, 6 pm to 4 am; Saturdays, 4 pm to 4 am; and Sundays, 5 pm to midnight.
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show
Gay travelers looking for a non-scene cruise bar in a basement setting will love Nowhere Bar in the East Village. The bar also has drag shows, DJ dance parties, and go-go dancers. Head to the darkroom to make some new friends.
Facilities: Bar, Drag Show, Go-go show, Dark Room
The Rosemount is a reasonably new gay hipster bar in Brooklyn. Expect young digital entrepreneurs to hang out there after work. There are drag shows, DJ parties, and live performances.
The Rosemount likes to keep things simple. It’s open weekdays from 5 pm to 4 am and weekends from 3 pm to 4 am. Happy hour runs from open until 9 pm daily.
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show
The Hell’s Kitchen version of America’s premier gay sports bar, Boxers, is the place to get your fill of sports while partying the night away. Giant screens play current and re-run sporting events, and every Sunday, there’s a drag brunch.
Boxers Hell’s Kitchen is open Mondays to Thursdays, 4 pm to 2 am; Fridays, 4 pm to 4 am, Saturdays, 1 pm to 4 am; and Sundays, 1 pm to 2 am.
Facilities: Bar, Restaurant, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show
For over 40 years, the 9th Avenue Saloon in Hell’s Kitchen has been serving the gay community. The bar is proudly gay-owned and operated. It’s become a popular bar for pre- and post-Broadway show cocktails, as the theaters are only a few steps away.
Unlike many other New York City bars where the operating hours change daily, 9th Avenue Saloon keeps things simple. Weekdays, 3 pm to 4 am, and weekends, 2 pm to 4 am.
Facilities: Bar
Friend’s Tavern is in the heart of the Roosevelt Avenue gayborhood and has been a gay institution for over three decades. Latin-themed, the bar has drag shows, bingo and karaoke nights, and go-go boys. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, the staff are handsome and friendly, and the cocktails are strong.
Friend’s Tavern is open daily from 5 pm to 4 am.
Facilities: Bar, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke, Go-go show
Lambda Lounge is located in Harlem on the corner of W133 and . Opened by Charles Hughes & Richard Solomon, it’s one of the only bars in NYC owned by a gay black couple.
The bar’s catchphrase is uptown elegance meets downtown swag. It’s dark and intimate, and the signature cocktails are a must.
Lamda Lounge is open Tuesday through Thursday from 8 pm to 2 am, Friday and Saturday from 8 pm to 4 am, and Sunday from 6 pm to 11 pm.
Facilities: Bar
Opened in 2022, Kween, as in (Yassss Kween!), is a sassy queer bar in the heart of Astoria in Queens. Hand-crafted cocktails and Latin fusion cuisine are the drawcards here.
As for entertainment, drag brunch, bingo, karaoke, go-go boys, games nights, and Latin parties ensure there’s something for everyone every night of the week,
Kween is open Monday – Friday, 4 pm – 4 am, and weekends from 12 pm.
Facilities: Bar, Restaurant, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Karaoke, Go-go show
True Colors is a Latin-themed bar on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. This fun and friendly bar welcomes a no-attitude crowd. Entertainment includes go-go dancers, DJ nights, and dance parties.
True Colors is open 5 pm to 4 am, 7 days a week
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Go-go show
Located in a giant warehouse in Brooklyn, 3 Dollar Bill is the place to dance the night away. The venue hosts the broadest range of entertainment in the borough, with gay speed dating, cabaret and drag shows, Drag Race viewing parties, country swing nights, and epic dance parties.
We checked 3 Dollar Bills’ website, social media, and Google profiles but couldn’t find their operating hours.
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show
Suite is a chilled-out gay bar in New York’s Upper West Side, steps away from Columbia University. Drag karaoke happens three nights a week, and the specialty cocktails are a must-try.
Suite is open daily at 5 pm. On Mondays and Tuesdays, it closes at 2 am, and on the other nights, it closes at 4 am.
Facilities: Bar, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke
Macri Park is the new kid on the block in Brooklyn. There’s a lot on offer at this venue, with drag being the key theme with Ru Paul Drag Show viewing and shows on most nights. Wednesdays is karaoke night, and Fridays is trivia night. DJ dance parties on Thursdays and weekends.
Macri Park is open from 3 pm to 4 am daily.
Facilities: Bar, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke
Metropolitan has been the center of gay Brooklyn for over 20 years. The outdoor patio is the place to get social and is open year-round. During the cooler months, snuggle up by the fireplaces indoors. Metropolitan is well-known in the area for it’s legendary BBQs, every Sunday between Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.
Karaoke, trivia, and Drag Rac viewing parties are some of the revolving events at Metropolitan.
Metropolitan is open every day of the year from 3 pm to 4 am, and happy hour runs until 8 pm.
Facilities: Bar, Live music, Dancing, Drag Show, Cabaret show, Karaoke
Destinations
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