Gay Bars in Houston

The Gay Bar Houston scene is huge! There are tons and tons of bars that are waiting for you tonight. When it comes to gay bars, there are many different types. There are adult entertainment clubs, there are drag shows, dance clubs, gay bars where you can just hang out, talk and meet people and a ton more. Houston has every kind of gay bar and club that you would want to go out to. Some of the hottest single gay men live in Houston, which makes going out on the town that much more interesting. Depending on where you go out you should expect different things, for example, there are some clubs that you go to in order to get some action, and there are some that you go to with nothing else on your mind but fun. Whether you are relocating, visiting or already live in Houston, you will be able to find a gay bar that suites your fancy. Make sure to read all you need to know about the different clubs and bars in order to know which one will match your mood.

Gay Bars Houston: History

The History behind the gay bars in Houston is thick and hard to swallow. Back in the 1950’s, gay bars started popping up all over the U.S. and the LGBT community in Houston had had enough of trying to plead their case and get a local, known gay bar open. Being in Texas, people weren’t exactly accepting of the idea and didn’t want any of this to happen. Business plans continuously were shot down. That’s when people took it upon themselves to open their own bars in the basements of their homes, but like all house parties, they get found out pretty fast and easily due to the neighbors complaining about noise. Police raided hundreds of gay parties in the Houston area in the span of only a couple months, and though the outcomes were always poor and sometimes bloody, bars were still being opened every Saturday night in certain basements - they refused to close their doors. Some people went to jail just for selling alcohol without a permit and some were just taken for the fact that they were going against the law by opening a bar when they were told that they couldn’t. Years went on and everything was the same time after time, until finally it was said that instead of having all of this happen, they may as well let the gay community open bars because it was taking away from more important issues that the law enforcement kept missing due to these raids. Now, we have gay bars!

Best Times and Dates

If you have been going out to gay bars for a long time in Houston, you probably know what the best days are to go out. For anyone who is new to the scene, the prime days and times to go out in Houston are Thursday-Sunday from 10:30pm-2am.

Gay Bars Houston: Directory

There are different kinds of gay bars and clubs in Houston. Sometimes in certain places you will find yourself in a place where there is only one type of bar, or even just one bar! But, luckily Houston is big enough and open enough to have a large amount! Below, you will find the best gay bars Houston spots and all the info you need to go out and have a great night.

South Beach

Type: Dance Club, Adult Entertainment
Space: Multiple rooms, patio
Crowd: 21+ (after 9pm), Mixed
Address: 810 Pacific St, Houston
Website:southbeachthenightclub.com

Brief Description: The first gay club that you should go to if you haven’t been there, or are just visiting Houston, is South Beach. South Beach is one of the hottest gay clubs in Houston today, and trust me when I say you are missing out if you haven’t gone. If you’ve been having a bad week or even day, South Beach is definitely the place to go to shake off those bad vibes from your 9-5. Drink, dance and flirt the night away along side some of the hottest guys in Houston. South Beach is always crowded with others who are eager to get their dance and drink on. With the open minded, friendly clientele, there is a 100% chance of having a great night when you go to South Beach. Having gone there multiple times, not once have I had a bad feeling or bad time. Like the name, the interior of South Beach gives you the feeling that you are in the south of California. South beach is definitely the place to go if you want to pick up someone for the night since there is always a very good looking and friendly crowd.

$2 Drinks - Block Party

At South Beach, there are $2 drinks every Friday and Saturday before 10pm. This means that the dance floor will be flooded early on in the night from all of the people who have headed down for those cheap drinks. South Beach is always full by 9:30 pm on Friday’s and Saturday’s just for this reason. The party starts early and ends late - at 2am that is.

Special Events

There are special events that happen almost every day that South Beach is open. The different special events include; drag shows, adult entertainment and more. People will come from all over Houston to go to these special events because they are known for being a great time. Since Fridays and Saturdays have extremely cheap drinks before 10pm, these events will be extra jammed just because of the people who come in from the streets after seeing a sign that says $2 drinks. Who wouldn’t go in?

Adult Entertainment

South Beach night club doesn’t only have a great dance floors and hot bartenders, but there are also male adult entertainers from around the world who come to Houston just to preform at various nightclubs, bars and strip joints. When an adult entertainer is coming to South Beach, it is posted on the South Beach website. Make sure to check up on the monthly calendars to check out who is coming when.

RIPCORD

Type: Gay Bar, Leather Bar
Space: Large Room, patio
Crowd: 21+ (after 9pm), Mixed
Address: 715 Fairview St, Houston
Website: ~~ripcord.bar~~

Brief Description: If you are looking for a wild night, the iconic gay bar, RIPCORD, is not the place to go. Other than its strong drinks and hot bartenders, RIPCORD has a very laid-back atmosphere. This is a great place to go on a Friday or Saturday night if you don’t feel like getting too crazy and just feel like a friendly pool or dart game. From the outside, it may not look like much, but RIPCORD was voted the number one favorite gay bar by the people of Houston this past year. RIPCORD is the second oldest gay bar in Texas and is also the states oldest leather bar.

F Bar

Type: Dance Club, Drag
Space: Large Rooms, patio
Crowd: 21+ (after 9pm), Mixed
Address: 202 Tuam St, Houston
Website:"http://fbarhouston.com/"

Brief Description: Houston had slim to no upscale bars until F Bar opened in 2011. In 2013, F Bar was voted best gay club and best drag bar by the Houston Press. The club welcomes straight and gay people from all over making the environment very accepting. Every single night this club is open, there is a drag show just to make your night a little bit better. Every night there is a different drag queen who preforms. If you are a regular at this bar you know that there are a lot of the same drag queens that come out, but they are never up two nights in a row.

Tribute Nights

F Stop have many tribute nights dedicated to different popular artists. These nights are for the true fans who could listen to these artists all night long and not get tired, literally, the only songs played are whichever artist is chosen. F Bar likes to do these nights because it brings new people into the club. Approximately 70% of the people who go to F Bar on a tribute night will come back on another regular night.

Talent Night

At F Bar, there are weekly talent shows every Wednesday that are just a ton of fun. If you are talent or are there just to watch, it is always a great time. Talent shows were always the best parts of high school and camp, but when you put one in a gay bar, it makes things 100x better. There are so many talented people in Houston who haven’t been discovered yet and this talent show definitely gives a lot of exposure. Some of the talent who have come out to perform on talent night have actually ended up working as drag queens for the bar.

4. Meteor Nightclub

Type: Dance Club, Drag
Space: Large Rooms, Patio
Crowd: 21+ (after 9pm), Mixed
Address: 2306 Genesee St, Houston
Website:meteorhouston.com

Brief Description:Meteor Nightclub is the home of Houston’s largest amateur drag show. Open from Thursday-Saturday from 9-2 there are drag shows twice every hour! Meteor has won several awards such as; Best place to party, friendliest staff and best architecture. On one side of the club there is adult entertainment every Friday and Saturday and on the other it is the gay club, so whatever mood you’re in, there is a place for you, and if you change your mind on the room you would rather be in, you can always head on over to the other side of the club for free, well, you can actually get in for free! There is no cover on Friday and Saturday.

Thursday’s

On Thursdays, the clientele is 18+. This is when Meteor puts on their amateur show. The mixed drinks on this night are $3.25 and domestic beers are only $5.50. If you are going out with a large group of friends this is definitely the place to go on a Thursday.

Friday’s and Saturday’s

On Friday’s and Saturday’s at Meteor, the clientele is 21+. There are drag shows and adult entertainers from all over the world who come to dance and have a good time with all of the club guests. There are no cover fees and drinks are moderately priced. Friday’s and Saturday’s at Meteor make for a great night out.

5. Neon Boots Dance Hall and Saloon

Type: Gay Bar, Leather Bar, Karaoke
Space: Large Room, patio
Crowd: 21+ (after 9pm), Mixed
Address: 11410 Hempstead Rd, Houston
Website:neonbootsclub.com

Brief Description: From Wednesday to Sunday, Neon Boots Dance Hall and Saloon is open for a great time. There are so many different things to do here that I almost get dizzy thinking about it. This is one of Houston’s favorite gay bars and that isn’t because of fancy wall decor or mints in the washrooms. This place is not upscale, but it is the place to go if you want to have a great time out with your friends or even on a date. Neon Boots was founded in 1955 and has been going strong since. Every single night there is something new and exciting going on, and say you miss a week of karaoke - there will be another karaoke night the next week. The schedule is fixed and rarely changes, which means that there isn’t a chance of walking in and not knowing whats happening. There are many different rooms in Neon Boots which means that there are a lot of different activities going on at the same time. The clientele at Neon Boots rage from ages 21-50, men and women. This venue really is fun and open to everyone. So the next time you have a long, bad day at work, head over to 11410 Hempstead Rd.

Wednesday’s at Neon Boots

On Wednesday nights at Neon Boots, there is a happy hour that lasts from 4pm-12am and a game night and dinner that starts at 7:30 and ends at 12. If you get off of work and decide that you want to go out right away instead of waiting around at home for game night, you can go and engage in happy hour until game night starts.

Thursday Nights at Neon Boots

There is a lot going on at Neon Boots on Thursday nights starting with happy hour and "Pint Night" that begin at 4pm. Later on, the largest free gay dance lesson in Houston begins from 7:30-8. This seems like a really small amount of time to learn how to dance, but the instructors are very intense which makes it seem like quite the workout when you are there, trust me, 30 minutes is all you need. Also if you decide to go for these free dance lessons, make sure to bring a partner! At 8pm-12pm, Neon Boots puts on their Karaoke Thursday’s hosted by Dina Jacobs. Every Thursday night, Dina puts on one of the best karaoke nights in all of Texas. Not only is she a great host, but also an awesome singer. Neon Boots is everyones favourite place to go on a Thursday night from 8-12.

Friday Nights at Neon Boots

Friday nights at Neon Boots only means two things; cheap drinks and lots of dancing. There are $3 drinks all night every single Friday. On selected Friday nights there are different dance parties (latino, hip hop, country etc.) and karaoke nights. Friday karaoke nights usually aren’t hosted by Dina, but they are still worth it.

Saturday’s at Neon Boots

Saturday’s at Neon Boots are long. Doors open at 12pm and close at 4am. At Noon, the dance party starts and ends at 2am. Sounds like a tiring day for staff, but they have regular hours and get swapped halfway through the day to ensure that the bar service is always great and also makes sure that the staff is happy and helpful the whole night. Once the dance party ends at 2, the after hours party begins. This lasts until 4am and the cover is always $5. If you’re not feeling like going home just yet, stop by for some top 40, country, hip hop, r&b. From 7:30-9pm each and every week a different dance from around the country is taught on Saturday evenings. There is line dancing, swing, hip hop and more. They have quite the assortment.

Sunday’s at Neon Boots

After a long Saturday night, Neon Boots winds down with yet again, karaoke - but this time on the patio. From 4:30-9 every Sunday evening, this dance hall/saloon puts on yet another karaoke night. Three every week? I’m not complaining.

Gay Bars Houston : Concluding Thoughts

Now that you have learnt all the information you need about gay clubs and gay bars in Houston, it’s time to go out and play! The next time you have a night off or are feeling down, hit up your best friends and go out to one of these awesome venues!