20 cities around the globe that queer it up
Stefan Arestis and Sebastien Chaneac of Nomadic Boys share their love for the world's most gay-friendly cities, based on a decade of adventures around the globe.
From underground clubs to marching in the streets: each city on our list has a beautiful history of becoming so very gay.
When it comes to how gay-friendly a city is, we Nomadic Boys take into account:
- How the local LGBTQ+ community is treated,
- What the queer nightlife is like,
- How comfortable it is for gay couples like us to show affection in public,
- How epic their pride parades and other gay events are.
Whether for riveting nightlife or simply for a community of open-minded people, these cities are our favourite shining pink beacons!
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Step aside San Fran, move over NYC – for there's a new queen! She's by far the gayest we've ever seen, with over 100 LGBTQ+ establishments, plus the highest concentration of gay couples in the US. Even the city's mayor, Dean Trantalis, is openly gay and proud.
But that's not the only reason why we love visiting Fort Lauderdale. We can't get enough of the beautiful beaches with golden sands, sports tournaments, and sassy sunbathers!
Top spots
- A vibrant gay scene and tons of hangout spaces in Wilton Manors – doesn't it sound like the name of an outrageous character on Dynasty?!
- Sebastian Street Beach is unofficially a gay beach and officially our favourite
Berlin, Germany
As early as the 1920s, Berlin was home to the world's first gay neighbourhood and was a lot more tolerant of homosexuality and cross-dressing than other European countries at the time. Today Berlin is gayer than ever. Between epic partying in industrial spaces and chilling in gay bathhouses, LGBTQ+ folk have no issue creating safe spaces in the German capital.
Top spots
- Awesome bars like SchwuZ and Möbel Olfe
- Themed parties at Betty F***
- The über-exclusive Berghain, a haven for electronic-music lovers with 72-hour parties that start on Friday evenings
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Netherlands holds the torch as one the gayest countries in the world. Without the rays of public approval, it wouldn't have become the first country to introduce marriage for all in 2001. Amsterdam is one of the very few cities where we feel comfortable holding hands in the street without constantly looking out to stay safe.
Read more in our detailed gay travel guide to Amsterdam.
Top spots
- SOHO, Buka, and Prik for great drinks
- Spijker Bar if you're into jeans and leather
- Club NYX, Eagle, and the infamous Club Church
Top events
- June: Bear Weekend
- July: International Queer & Migrant Film Festival
- July/August: Amsterdam Pride is famous and unique – bloats instead of floats!
- October: Leather Pride
San Francisco, CA, USA
It all started in the late 1800s, when the Gold Rush made gay activity kind of inevitable – you don't gather young men with dreams from all over and not expect greatness. Dancing and cross-dressing performances in the clubs gave birth to the queer culture that was beautifully immortalised by Armistead Maupin in Tales of the City.
Stroll the streets learning about the many prominent queer icons that have ventured through San Francisco at one point. After all, it was home to one of the most famous LGBTQ+ activists of our time, Harvey Milk – the first openly gay elected official in the history of California.
Top spots
- Moby Dick, 440 Castro, and Beaux
Top events
- June: Pride brings a diverse crowd of millions
- September: Folsom Street Fair strips down to leather and other BDSM gear
Brighton, UK
Whilst the gay scene in Brighton obviously isn't as big as London's, it's still heaps of fun. With its charming beaches, colourful nightlife, and a close-knit community, Brighton is one of the UK's gay capitals and one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities in the world.
It's also a popular place for gay Londoners to retire, or just to escape the stressful life of the big capital – so it has LGBTQ+ households in droves.
Top spots
- Bulldog and The Queens Arms are gems on St James's Street
- The Brighton Naturist Beach's own gay section
Top events
- August: Brighton Pride is one of the best events in the UK, with performances from huge artists like Kylie and Britney
Madrid, Spain
Barcelona, Spain
While the Stonewall riots in NYC were inspiring global protest, the Franco regime was criminalising homosexuality. Fed up with living in the shadows, a bunch of noble activists got together in Barcelona in the 1970s and took to the streets demanding their rights, inspiring others in Madrid, and allowing Spain's LGBTQ+ rights to quickly evolve.
From its many gay bathhouses, where queer folk can meet up and unwind, to epic clubs where you can dance your heart out, Barcelona's gay scene in Gaixample is vast and diverse. So is the community in Madrid's Chueca, with countless bars that usually spill into the street.
Top spots
- We're big fans of Barcelona bars like Moeem, La Chapelle, and Plata! And the best parties are run by the Grupo Arena
- In Madrid, we love La Kama, Barbanarama, El Bulldog, Boyberry, and Rick's
Top events
- April: United Bear Pride
- Late June: Barcelona Pride culminates at Plaza España with a large outdoor concert featuring famous Latino and Eurovision stars
- June: FIRE!! film festival
- July: Madrid Pride (arguably Europe's best), plus excellent circuit-style parties run by WE
- August: Circuit
- September: Panteresport
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Lots of people knock LA for being filled with fake wannabe starlets and power-hungry executives, but find the right place, and you'll be surrounded by absolute sweethearts. It feels like if you were to take away all of the gay couples you saw walking down the street, you'd have nobody left! But the West Hollywood scene is where you'll find most of the community, along with tons of clubs and bars.
The drag scene is known to be cutthroat, with many queens working seven nights a week. In fact, RuPaul's Drag Race fans will particularly love the city that has given us Shangela, Trixie Mattel, Morgan McMichaels, and many more!
Top spots
- Precinct DTLA is really popular, with glamorous drag performers bringing the audience into a trance
- Akbar is a bit smaller but still fun, with a jukebox full of our favourite pop hits
Tel Aviv, Israel
It's only the safest place for queer people in the Middle East! Gay rights in Israel have progressed rapidly over the last few years, with gay marriage a possibility in the not-so-distant future. We also love the similarity between the words "gay" and the Hebrew word for "pride" – gea.
Top spots
- Shpagat, La Boheme, and Jimmy WHO? are some of the best, with lots of regulars you'll soon begin to recognise (which can be good…or bad?)
- BEEF and SEVEN parties
- Hangouts like Lima Lima and Breakfast Club
Top events
- Early June: The big highlight is the Tel Aviv Pride – the only official pride parade in the Middle East, with over quarter of a million people attending (including all those hot Israeli gays in speedos)
London, UK
Imagine yourself as a gay kid growing up in the UK Midlands, knowing no other LGBTQ+ folk, feeling like an alien. Then, you emerge from the underground, onto Old Compton Street in SoHo. Rainbow flags everywhere, LGBTQ+ couples kissing and holding hands, gay folk smiling back at you off billboards… This is London!
The capital was considered a gay city before being gay was even decriminalised in the UK in 1967. Many LGBTQ+ folks would move here to socialise and be their big ol' happy gay selves.
Top spots
- GAY Heaven has famous drag queens and pop stars perform every week
- Exquisite queer theatre company Above the Stag stages queer stories
Top events
- Early July: Pride in London is always epic, pulling out all the stops – the floats that drive down through the busy touristic streets of Oxford Street and Picadilly are totally extra
New York City, USA
Visiting the Stonewall Inn – the birthplace of Pride – is a must for any LGBTQ+ traveller who is looking to explore their community's history. In front of the Inn is a small garden where a plaque tells the story. Trans activists Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson both served as pivotal members of the movement in the late 1960s, and were regulars at the Inn.
Top spots
- More gay bars than you can count
- Beloved Lips with drag performers as waiters
- Barracuda and The Eagle to hang out at
Top events
- Late June: New York Pride is one of the most famous events in the entire city, bringing together massive crowds. Find out more in our detailed guide to New York Pride
Toronto, Canada
With Canada being a shining example for other countries when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, their biggest city has to make the list! You'll even see the prime minister marching in the pride parade. Toronto has its own official Gay Village around Church and Wellesley streets. What started off as an underground scene, dominated by bathhouses and cruising areas, today has the LGBTQ+ community firmly out of the closet as a fixture of Toronto life.
Top spots
- Woody's/SAILOR and Crews & Tangos have some of the best drag performances ever
- Queer parties like Cherry Bomb, Toastr, and YES YES Y'ALL
Top events
- June: Toronto Pride is one of the largest pride events in the world, with plenty of Canadian and international celebrities taking part. Read more about Toronto in our guide to its gay scene
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina gets a gold star when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights! It was the first place in South America to introduce gay marriage back in 2010, and followed it by an array of progressive laws for the transgender community.
Top spots
- Pepo Pepona is a gay restaurant with handsome waiters who are also dancers!
- Meeting the scene up close at Palermo bars like Peuteo
- San Telmo is an area with the best milongas (tango dance parties), including a few queer ones
- Glam Disco (younger crowd), Contramano (bears and older guys), Amerika, and the monthly Fiesta Plop parties are all fantastic Porteño experiences
Top events
- November: Pride
- February: Queer Tango Festival
Sydney, Australia
Sydney wasn't always the open-minded, liberal city it is today. Just like everywhere, the LGBTQ+ community had to fight for its place. In the late 1970s, they began demanding that their protesting voices be heard. Today, the city's largest official gay community is in the Rainbow Ribbon – a suburb within inner Sydney; other folks reside in Newton and the wealthy Potts Point.
Top spots
- The Bank Hotel with its Birdcage parties
- The alternative Canned Fruit parties embrace modern queerness and gay AF tunes
Top events
- February/March: Mardi Gras, the biggest LGBTQ+ festival in Australia, attracts people from all over the world. Oxford Street comes alive with a shower of rainbow flags, streamers, glitter, and elaborately dressed patrons
Paris, France
France was one of the first countries in the world to decriminalise homosexuality all the way back in 1791, so it's safe to say the Republic has had a long time to get used to us. From the underground lesbian nightclubs in the 1890s to drag balls where queens vogued the house down in the dawn of the Jazz Age, Paris has been a gay capital for centuries.
Top spots
- Le Marais in central Paris is the heart of the city's LGBTQ+ community; The Bears Den, El Hombre, COX, and LE RAIDD are some of the best gay bars
- Le Gay Choc bakery serves pastries shaped like a magic wand. When you thought Paris couldn't be any gayer…
Top events
- June: Paris Pride is a burst of colour, diversity, and love
São Paulo, Brazil
While it's not always safe to be a vocal activist in Brazil, decades of activism have paid off in expansive legal protections. LGBTQ+ discrimination has been illegal in Brazil since 2019, and marriage rights for all were granted in 2013. São Paulo is a cosmopolitan cultural capital, so moving through these green streets as a queer person won't generally attract any trouble, although some caution is warranted.
Top spots
- Vibrant clubs like Bubu, Tunnel, and Eagle
- Places like Bar Queen and Upgrade Club add the much-needed spice to the scene
Top events
- June: São Paulo Pride has been bringing the city to a standstill since 1997
Bangkok, Thailand
While Asia is not the most gay-friendly continent, pink havens like Thailand exist, and we rate it as one of the friendliest LGBTQ+ places in Asia. Bangkok in particular is one of our favourite places, and we keep returning to it. This vibrant town is filled to the brim with culture and diversity, with a fantastic gay scene in the Silom area to boot. We always feel welcome there!
Top spots
- Balcony and The Stranger are only two of the great gay bars in Silom Soi 4
- The awesome DJ Station club has the best drag shows in Bangkok
Top events
- April: The annual Songkran GCircuit parties that coincide with the big Thai New Year celebrations. Read more in our guide
Lisbon, Portugal
Walking hand in hand through the district of Príncipe Real, we receive only a few raised eyebrows from passersby, most with a smile or a twinkle in the eye. Laidback Lisbon natives are simply excellent at accepting others for who they are. Rua de Barroca has such a magic buzz, with music pouring through the streets and diverse folks passing by: from leather-clad daddies to glammed-up drag artists. While we mostly hung around the gay district, everywhere we went we were met with love and kindness.
Top spots
- Gay Bar 106, Bar Tr3s, Bar Cru, and Shelter
- The nudist Beach 19 (Praia de Bela Vista) is a gay beach on Lisbon's doorstep
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town boasts the largest gay scene in Africa – and it's sadly one of the very few African cities considered gay-friendly. It's so far the only country on the continent to have equal marriage, a vibrant gay scene, and pride events.
The LGBTQ+ hotspot of Cape Town is De Waterkant. We found the LGBTQ+ community to be extremely tight and friendly, but not cliquey. Newcomers are welcome, but there is definitely a sense of camaraderie and sisterhood – the gays there have each other's backs!
Top spots
- Beefcake and Pink Candy are super popular for their themed nights and drag performances
Top events
- February: Cape Town Pride runs a whole week with parties, workshops, informational safety panels, and an epic parade
Taipei, Taiwan
One of the best gay scenes in Asia. During the 38 years of martial law, the community was heavily suppressed, and when the laws were lifted in 1987, the Taiwanese were desperate to transition into a modern, progressive way of living. So Taiwan was the first on the continent to pass gay marriage laws, becoming the LGBTQ+ leader for the entire continent!
Top spots
- Gay bars like Hero, Hunt, Goldfish, the Commander D, and THE Secret Garden (all around the Ximen Red House)
- Gstar is the best gay club
Top events
- Late October: Taipei Pride is the largest gay festival in Asia and coincides with other fantastic events like the Mr. Gay Taiwan beauty pageant and the Formusa Pride Rainbow Music Party. Read more in our interview with Mr. Taiwan cutie Po-Hung about what it's like growing up gay in Taiwan
Sebastien and I hope you found this guide helpful. Whoever you are, whoever you love, we wish you safe and happy travels!
