Oakland gay scene
A LGBTQ+ Bar Crawl in Downtown Oakland
Home to America&#x;s oldest continuously-operating gay lock, Oakland boasts a vibrant queer culture that can be by turns younger, more Black, more femme, and more family-oriented than its famously queer neighbor across the Bay. Local gay nightlife long took the form of itinerant, underground parties, but in recent years new people hotspots have enriched Downtown Oakland. Thanks to this cultural renaissance, visitors and natives alike can sample Oakland&#x;s many dimensions of queerness in a unattached evening, through a block crawl.
Town Bar
Just around the corner on 20th Street, Town Bar is a queer and mixed spot inside a stunning emerald stone façade originally constructed for a luxurious department store. Leaning into the glamor of its Art Deco home, this dark and shiny cocktail bar has dedicated areas for dancing, performances and DJs, as well as tables for enjoying delightfully-garnished beverages.
Town Bar is located at Broadway, entrance on 20th Street.
Continue down Broadway and cross the street to walk past streetwear-inspired marijuana retailer and streetwear boutique Dope Era. On the next block, belo
OAKLAND -- For years, Oaklanders looking for a playfulness gay night on the town had to either cross the bridge or hop on BART. No matter how hard it tried, the city famous as the Sunny Side of the Bay has always lived in the shadow of its neighboring gay mecca.
But that might be changing.
Walk over to Oakland's Downtown area and you might find yourself doing a double-take.
At p.m. on a Wednesday and Sean Sullivan and his business and life partner Richard Fuentes are already slammed with a rush of customers.
Less than a month since the opening of Fluid, the place is hopping with an eclectic mix of people, many of them LGBTQ.
"We stand for gay, for straight, for everyone in the community," Fuentes said.
With two bars and a boogie floor, this sleek 5,square-foot venue could easily rival some of the most iconic hotspots in San Francisco. But this place is nowhere near The Castro; it's way across the Bay in Oakland.
"We're planting the seed and taking the infant steps to start to create foot traffic for all of Downtown Oakland," Sullivan said.
While still much smaller than San Francisco's LGBTQ scene, something is clearly happen
The Night Owl in Oakland
Grab a drink and build a new friend at The Port Bar
Drinks involve punny names like “Hung like a Mule” and “Butch Buch,”
Don’t miss Oakland’s Hella Gay Dance Party
Club 21’s modern interior sets a cool vibe
The owners of The Port Block are ready to welcome anyone ready for a good time
Pose with your ladies at The Port Bar
Swipe to see more of Oakland's nightlife
Sip, sip hooray!
In addition to monthly dance parties, Oakland is also home to established and beloved queer bars and nightclubs, such as Club BNB (formerly Bench and Bar), and Club 21, both in the Uptown neighborhood. Started by a judge and attorney, Club BNB has been around for 35 years and is the largest gay and lesbian nightclub in the Bay Area. It’s especially welcoming to people of color. The club’s main dance floor features hip-hop, old college, R&B and house, plus go-go dancers, drink specials and drag shows for the fabulously inclined.
For the boys, Club 21 is the Bay Area’s only queer Latin dance club. It’s home to Latin Explosion every Friday, with go-go dancers and queenly shows wit
San Francisco’s fabulous LGBTQIA+ scene is no surprise if you know anything about the city’s history. SF is known for electing Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the US, and is still known today for its thriving homosexual community.
At the epicentre of it all is San Francisco’s Castro District, complete of drag shows, bars and great restaurants, but there’s plenty more to discover throughout SF (and Oakland) if you comprehend where to look. Whether you’re looking for approachable lesbian bars, balls-to-the-wall Latinx dance parties or a very memorable drag display, these are the leading gay bars in SF right now.
RECOMMENDED:
🍳 The best brunch spots in San Francisco
🪩 The foremost nightclubs in San Francisco
🌮 The best restaurants in San Francisco
🏨 The optimal hotels in San Francisco
This guide was written by Bay-Area based writer Clara Hogan. At Time Out, all of our tour guides are written by local writers who comprehend their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Apply and Privacy Policy
.