The Best LGBTQ Bars and Clubs
From Hell's Kitchen to the East Village, each neighborhood is deserving of its own best LGBTQ bar article. Regarding the latter, Club Cumming is one of the most fun, entertaining additions to the LGBTQ nightlife scene this decade. Club Cumming, created by nightlife promoter Daniel Nardicio of NYC (and Fire Island) and actor/singer Alan Cumming, attracts famous people like Emma Stone, Jake Shears, Adele, and Jennifer Lawrence with its varied lineup of performances by well-known and up-and-coming performers in comedy, drag, singing, and burlesque.
- Greenwich Village and the West Village are home to some of NYC's most beloved and iconic bars and clubs, starting with the Stonewall Inn, which was designated a U.S. National Monument by President Obama in 2016. The Stonewall Inn, which offers drink specials, drag shows, and the occasional surprise celebrity appearance, is situated directly across from the pie-shaped Christopher Street Park and its two same-sex couples Gay Liberation statues.
- A few blocks to the east is Julius', which has a rich history of its own. It was originally founded as a bar in 1864, changed its name to Julius in 1930, and began attracting LGBTQ customers in the 1960s after the "sip in" protest of the activist group The Mattachine Society in 1966 brought attention to the fact that establishments at the time could refuse service to gay people.
- Up in Harlem, there are a pair of Black-owned LGBTQ bars located just six blocks from door to door: Alibi Lounge and Lambda Lounge, the latter having been opened in 2020 by married couple Charles Hughes and Ricky Solomon, who previously founded Lambda Vodka in 2016.
