This ‘Drag Race’ and Pride photographer shares his faves of LGBTQ2S+ Ottawa
Derek Hille has shot many of the queens who have appeared on ‘Canada’s Drag Race.’ And he knows LGBTQ2S+ Ottawa like the back of his tiara
Ottawa photographer Derek Hille got his first camera when he was eight or nine years old. “I was a very observant kid,” he says. He studied photography, and after years of taking pictures as a hobby, people started coming to him, asking for portraits and other shots. After he was asked to take photos for Ottawa’s Capital Pride (August 22 to 30, 2026), his career in the LGBTQ2S+ community started to take off. He collaborates with queens to help them build a persona. Pink Ticket Travel asked Hille about his work with queens, and what he recommends visitors check out to discover LGBTQ2S+ Ottawa. <img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" width="1024" height="768" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-1024x768.jpeg" alt="Ottawa lgbq1s+ travel" class="wp-image-9151" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-150x113.jpeg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-696x522.jpeg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-1068x801.jpeg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7645-1920x1440.jpeg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Derek Hille at work taking pictures for Capital Pride. Credit: Derek Hille When did you start taking photos of drag queens? One of the first photoshoots I did with a drag queen was probably 2012—a long time ago. Some of my best friends have been drag queens, so it’s only natural that I’d be like, “Hey yeah, let’s take your photos, let’s build your portfolio.” They would get me into shows and I’d take their photos. We’d just work on building their persona, doing character building and that kind of thing. As some of them were going on Canada’s Drag Race, they asked me to take photos. I’ve worked with Kimmy Couture, Aimee Yoncé Shennel, Kiki Coe, KARAMILK, Icesis Couture… I love drag because it fuses beauty, performance, art and technical things into one. It’s like a creative orgasm. You grew up in Ottawa, a city that doesn’t have a reputation for being Canada’s most exciting city, though it’s got a lot of museums and history. How do you find it and how has it changed over the years? I hear all the time how it’s the most boring city, but I try to ignore that because I don’t think it’s true. It’s got small interesting communities within it that you don’t see right away. You can have a creative life here if you’re creative enough and if you’re social enough. Drag is a good way to get introduced to everything because drag queens are so loud, with big personalities and big mouths. Just ask a drag queen, “How do I have fun here?” and they’ll answer you. <img decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-1024x684.jpg" alt="lgbtq2s+ Ottawa" class="wp-image-9156" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-300x200.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-768x513.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-150x100.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-696x465.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F-1068x713.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/BDD5BC11-1C4B-4A7D-8370-8D3E9B44CF0F.jpg 1202w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Capturing Ottawa’s party scene. Credit: Derek Hille When friends visit Ottawa, what are the top things you tell them to do? Definitely the Rideau Canal, which in the winter turns into the world’s longest skating rink, which is cool. Skating on the canal is a nice experience, or in warm weather, biking or walking along it. You can follow it from downtown to the Central Experimental Farm, which is a really beautiful area with trills and hills where you can chill and be on your own almost in the middle of the city. They have ornamental gardens and an arboretum with lots of different kinds of trees. There are a lot of museums, but my top pick would be the Canadian Museum of History (100 Rue Laurier, Gatineau), which is across the Ottawa River from Ottawa proper. The architecture, designed by Douglas Cardinal, is fantastic. They have amazing exhibits and a theatre where they’ll have talks and screen documentaries. My second favourite is the Canadian Museum of Nature (240 McLeod St., Ottawa), because the building is like a castle and they have giant dinosaur sculptures. I remember going as a kid and thinking it was the best thing ever. <img decoding="async" width="850" height="564" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n.jpg" alt="lgbtq2s+ Ottawa" class="wp-image-9154" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n.jpg 850w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n-300x199.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n-768x510.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n-150x100.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/484345393_1445181306653768_5064763558689899506_n-696x462.jpg 696w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" /> Dulce the Queen, who appeared on season six of Canada’s Drag Race, strikes a pose. Credit: Derek Hille Ottawa used to have a museum of photography. Where would I go these days to see photos? SPAO: Photographic Arts Centre (77 Pamilla St., Ottawa) has some excellent exhibits. I would also go to the Ottawa Art Gallery (50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa). The National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa) always has something pretty interesting happening. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="629" height="629" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7056.jpg" alt="lgbtq2s+ Ottawa" class="wp-image-9148" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7056.jpg 629w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7056-300x300.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7056-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 629px) 100vw, 629px" /> Portraits are also a part of Derek Hille’s business. Credit: Derek Hille Okay, you’ve filled up my days. Where should I go out at night? Here are my top three gay bars in Ottawa. The Lookout Bar (Second floor, 41 York St., Ottawa) is the classic place. It’s been in the ByWard Market since 1996. They always have drag shows. It’s busy every weekend with lots of loud, fun music and dancing.The crowd is a mix of everybody, though on the weekend I would say it’s a bit younger. If there are Canada’s Drag Race or RuPaul’s Drag Race characters in town, this is where they will go. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRZ83bOgNCo/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Lookout Bar & Nightclub (@thelookoutbar) My number two is T’s Pub (323 Somerset St. W., Ottawa). It reminds me of what Centretown Pub used to be. [When it closed in 2017, Centretown Pub was the oldest gay bar in Ottawa.] The place is just ’round the clock, ’round the year gay Pride. There are older guys, younger guys, lesbians night, drag night, dance night, karaoke night. Lookout has all those as well, but I find T’s more diverse, the crowd a bit older. The staff is always really lovely and everybody’s really friendly. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTB-wU0kQP5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by T's Pub (@tspub_ottawa) It’s a tossup for my number three spot. Sky Lounge (Top floor, 73 York St., Ottawa) is a giant sports bar with big screen TVs, a big bar in the middle, a little stage and all these windows looking out. It’s a very open concept and they hold events there, like Drag Race viewing parties. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUtRH7VDms1/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wasted Tuition (@wasted.tuition) My other suggestion is House of TARG (1077 R. Bank Street, Ottawa), which is kind of an underground alternative venue that has an LGBTQ2S+ presence. They have punk there, they have drag there. You can play old vintage pinball machines and arcade games and eat pierogies. I’ll go there to watch a drag show or a punk show. There are a lot of punks in Ottawa, actually. GRIDWRKS (221 Rideau St., Ottawa) has a high-quality state-of-the-art sound system. They have really good parties there—rave nights, drag nights, all kinds of things. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTf68q_DgbP/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by MARTA (@martaofficialmusic) A lot of these places are in the Gay Village along Bank Street at Somerset Street. That’s where you’ll find the rainbow crosswalk. You’ll also find many cute restaurants, coffee places and shops along there. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Could you handle 20 lesbian bars in 30 days?
In her new book, ‘The Lesbian Bar Chronicles,’ author Rachel Karp takes readers on a gigantic bar crawl around America’s sapphic spaces
In the fall of 2021, writer and producer Rachel Karp, her then-girlfriend (now wife) Jen McGinity and her best friend Sarah Gabrielli took a 30-day road trip across the U.S., visiting 20 lesbian bars. That’s a lot of pints and cocktails over the course of a month. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-683x1024.jpg" alt="lesbian bar chronicles" class="wp-image-9161" style="width:181px;height:271px" width="181" height="271" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-200x300.jpg 200w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-150x225.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-300x450.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-696x1044.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-1068x1602.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Karp_cover-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 181px) 100vw, 181px" /> That whirlwind tour of America’s sapphic scene formed the foundation of their ongoing podcast, Cruising, about the history and personalities who have shaped spaces for queer women, and now Karp’s book, The Lesbian Bar Chronicles: The Living History and Hopeful Future of America’s Dyke Dives and Sapphic Spaces. Rather than reviewing or merely fêting each of the stops on their itinerary, the book digs deeply into the history of each venue, exploring the unique personal visions that conjured them into being and the social circumstances, including the need to party and form community, that keep those visions afloat. The book also chronicles the history of legendary lesbian bars that no longer exist. In these profiles, Karp paints a picture of lesbian life in the U.S. over the last 60 years, going back to a time when same-gender couples couldn’t even kiss or dance together without risking arrest. The Lesbian Bar Chronicles is an entertaining and enlightening read, which also makes a great bookend to Alex Ketchum’s recent Ingredients for Revolution: A History of American Feminist Restaurants, Cafes and Coffeehouses. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-768x1024.jpg" alt="lesbian bar chronicles" class="wp-image-9166" style="width:265px;height:353px" width="265" height="353" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-225x300.jpg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-150x200.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-300x400.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-696x928.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_8043-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" /> Rachel Karp. Pink Ticket Travel talked to Karp and Gabrielli (with guest appearances by McGinity) about the road trip that has defined their lives for the last five years. For the purposes of the book and this interview, a lesbian bar is defined as “a) a bar that is b) owned or operated by lesbians, LGBTQ+ women or nonbinary folks, and c) intentionally welcomes lesbians, LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary folks.” Before this whole adventure with the road trip, the podcast and the book, what made you interested in lesbian bars, aside from their being a place to grab a drink and have fun? Karp: I vividly remember my first time walking into a lesbian bar, which was Cubbyhole (281 West 12th St., Manhattan, New York City). I was probably not quite old enough to be there, but old enough to get in. Just the feeling of being entirely surrounded by other queer people for the first time in my life was a very powerful experience and kept me coming back to lesbian bars throughout my early twenties. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="768" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-1024x768.jpg" alt="lesbian bars" class="wp-image-9167" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-300x225.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-768x576.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-150x113.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-696x522.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-1068x801.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_9077-1920x1440.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> NYC’s Cubby Hole. Credit: Rachel Karp As we started to think about making a podcast together, I started to latch on to the sense that lesbian bars, in particular, are such vivid containers for stories. There are so many regulars, so many people that go to them that have their own interesting stories. There’s a lot of history in the New York lesbian bars that we were interested in. At the same time, there were headlines about how lesbian bars were disappearing and closing. We were at first interested in exploring that phenomenon, which I think we discovered to not really be accurate over the course of the past five or six years. You essentially did a road-trip bar crawl, which sounds like quite a month-long party. What were some of the challenges? Karp: We were tired. It was an intense pace—20 bars, 10,000 miles in 30 days. We also had our car broken into in L.A., which was an unexpected wrench in our plans. Sarah’s skateboard got stolen. Gabrielli: My hard drives were in the car, along with expensive recording equipment, which they didn’t take. We could have lost all of our material. One of the things that stood out when reading about each bar was how the founders—their personalities, their quirks and interests, their way of seeing the world—really defines these spaces. Gabrielli: Number one, having a strong leader is really important in people feeling connected to the space and feeling safe there. We saw that a lot—having a leader that was really serious about keeping their customers safe. I’m thinking about Alice Brady’s [whose bar was a hub of lesbian life in New Orleans in the 1950s and ’60s; Brady passed away in 2021]. She’s a huge character and she was very serious about keeping people safe. She had all these different protocols in regards to what people wore—making sure people wore clothes that weren’t going to get them arrested—and forbidding people to dance together because it was illegal. Karp: As far as the bars that are still around today, they tend to have leaders who have been able to balance the history and the legacy and their own personal quirks with the evolution of the community’s needs. Gabrielli: What the market really wants now is owners that are accepting of all sorts of gender and sexual identities. That’s something we heard over and over again: “All are welcome as long as you respect the space and respect that its purpose is to serve queer women or lesbians.” We’ve spoken to people that have explicitly said, “My business wouldn’t have been able to survive if I didn’t welcome gay men and other people into the space too as paying customers.” I know there’s a lot of grey area, but I kinda wanna divide lesbian bars into “old school” and “new school.” Karp: It’s tough because I really feel that even the old school bars that have been around since the ’60s are still around because they have figured out how to evolve in some way. I feel like the biggest difference is just the history and the legacy, less so the way the bar serves its customers today. McGinity: I think nowadays there’s an event focus that’s totally different than in the past. Now there’s karaoke night, you’re doing trivia, you’re hosting a story slam. There are so many things happening on any given evening. Karp: There are some bars that are clearly cocktail bars, and some bars are more like old-school dive bars. The Bush (333 Troutman St., Brooklyn, New York City), Nobody’s Darling (1744 W. Balmoral Ave., Chicago)—those are cocktail bars. Then you definitely still have your classic old-school dive bars, like Ginger’s (363 5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York City) or Cubbyhole. McGinity: I think the non-alcoholic options have changed drastically, too. Before, if you weren’t drinking, you were having a soda and that’s it. Now there are a lot more N.A. options. We discovered non-alcoholic spirits at the diviest of dive bars, which was Alibi’s in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [Alibi’s closed in 2024.] <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-768x1024.jpg" alt="lesbian bars" class="wp-image-9164" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-225x300.jpg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-150x200.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-300x400.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-696x928.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_7650-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> Checking out Seattle’s Wildrose. Credit: Rachel Karp The oldest surviving bar you visited was Wild Side West (424 Cortland Ave., San Francisco), which has been around since 1962. What makes it special? Karp: Wild Side West was one of my favourites. It’s extremely eclectic. I fell in love with the aesthetic. The bar has moved locations twice, but you definitely feel like remnants of past decades are in the space itself. It goes back to the original owner who had a tendency to collect things and turn them into art or décor for her bar. It’s more of a neighbourhood crowd. Gabrielli: It’s an institution, but so many people who live in San Francisco don’t know about it. They’re the only lesbian bar in the United States without an Instagram account. When they first opened, people in the neighbourhood didn’t want a lesbian bar there, so there was vandalism. But then they’d take a toilet seat that was thrown through the window and turn it into a sculpture in the backyard. The garden is really what makes it so special. I know it’s hard to pick more favourites out of so many cool places, but please pick another favourite for me. Gabrielli: I’ve been really moved by The Sports Bra (2512 N.E. Broadway, Portland, Oregon), which opened in 2022. It’s the first of its kind—a women’s sports bar. There’s a real energy behind it as a new entity that the community is excited about. It’s a really cool example of the “new age” of lesbian spaces. Karp: Another one that stands out for me is Frankie’s (3200 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City). We were somewhat surprised to find such a vibrant queer and lesbian community in Oklahoma. The night we visited was “family night,” all the performers, the regular customers, their friends, just hanging out. We were immediately welcomed into the fold of their chosen family. Your tour has given you such a bird’s eye view of the scene. What opinions did you form about what kinds of neighbourhoods and spaces are fertile ground for lesbian bars? Karp: A big trend, particularly with bars that have been around for a decade-plus, is that they were opened in “less desirable” neighbourhoods that have since been massively gentrified, in part because of the queer community putting down roots. Then, after 10 or 15 years, the lesbian bar can no longer afford rent on the space in the neighbourhood that it made more desirable. Bars are opening and closing all the time. Are you going to continue to keep track? Karp: The podcast is ongoing. The third season of Cruising has moved away from specifically bars because we covered as many as were available in the first two seasons. Now, I’ve been interviewing interesting lesbians about all different kinds of lesbian spaces—women’s land, activist groups, women’s sports, but we’ll include new bars, too. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What you need to know about Pride House during World Cup
At least a dozen cities hosting this year’s World Cup will also host a Pride House. We talked to the Toronto organizer to learn what fun they will be
The first Pride House took place 16 years ago, during the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Local activists organized two pavilions—one in Vancouver and one in the ski resort town of Whistler, British Columbia—that welcomed LGBTQ2S+ athletes, fans and allies during the games. Like a traditional Olympic “hospitality house,” a dedicated venue typically set up by the host country’s National Olympic Committee as a place for cultural exchange, socializing, networking and fandom, a Pride House celebrates the sports competition, but from a distinctly queer perspective. Always attached to a major sporting event, local organizers follow a sort-of template established by Scotland-based Pride House International, to create, activate and publicize their pavilions. There have been Pride Houses at every Olympics since 2010, as well as at two Pan and Parapan American Games, three Commonwealth Games and several other championships, adding up to 27 Pride Houses so far. During the 2026 men’s World Cup of soccer (or football, if you prefer), which takes place from June 11 to July 19, there will be a Pride House bonanza. With matches spread across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, at least 12 of those cities will host Pride Houses during the 39-day tournament. Though each city will do things a little differently, they’ll all be broadcasting games, presenting cultural programming and performances, and providing space for mixing, mingling and chilling. Though Toronto has already organized a Pride House, back when the city hosted the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games, this time out it’s an all-new organizing team and a new venue. From June 11 to July 19, every match will be shown at the George Brown Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences (51 Dockside Dr., Toronto), a waterfront venue with a spacious lobby with stepped seating. Pink Ticket Travel talked to Annie Hart, chair of Pride House Toronto, in the early days of planning, about what fun the team has in mind. How did you come to be leading 2026 Pride House Toronto? I had done work with Toronto FC on Play Proud, which was a North American–wide soccer initiative for LGBTQ2S+ inclusion. I’m a soccer supporter. I used to run one of the Toronto FC supporter groups. We actually started with very little structure behind us, so we’re having to reinvent a lot of things as we go. But each Pride House does their own thing. They’re completely designed, run, staffed and funded by local teams. The mandate can be as simple as having a table at a pub with a TV that’s dedicated to whatever sport, or it can be on a much larger scale. We’ll be focused on our location at the George Brown Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences building. But we’ve been talking to Los Angeles—they’re combining their efforts for the Men’s World Cup and their upcoming Olympics in July 2028, so they have a music concert hall and other venues. It’s a very elastic program. I know things in some U.S. cities have been complicated—some of our meetings have been a bit heart-wrenching, to say the least—because of some of the political issues they’re facing that we’re not having to face here. I know you still have a lot of details to work out, but can you give me a taste of what the experience will be like for a visitor? We’ve got a single location, and we’ve intentionally kept it away from the congestion of BMO Field (170 Princes’ Blvd., Toronto) and the FIFA Fan Festival (a larger World Cup watch-party event, with live match broadcasts, music, entertainment and food, which will take place at Fort York National Historic Site, 250 Fort York Blvd., Toronto, and The Bentway). The tournament overlaps with Pride Toronto (June 25 to 28), so we expect people will be coming and going from our venue. George Brown Polytechnic has donated space on their waterfront campus, right next to Sugar Beach. It’s a beautiful open space with a little patio that we’re able to licence for alcohol. We’re going for a pub-style layout: high-top tables, low-top tables, areas where people can congregate with screens. When the games are on, the focus will be strictly on the games, so there won’t be any interruptions. But we’re doing some programming, too. We’re trying to leverage it to empower more voices in our community. Like grassroots soccer programming, 2SLGBTQ+ soccer programming. We are planning to have a screening of Harrison Browne’s film Pink Light, which is a short about the experience of a trans male hockey player. So we may have some crossover with Heated Rivalry! We have a lot of entertainment connections, so there will be celebrity sightings, VIPs showing up. We are PG-friendly, especially during the day, so families are welcome, children are welcome. Dogs are allowed outside. The flavour of the place will change depending on who’s playing. We’re doing food and drink service. We’re also hoping to have a shuttle set up from Union to our location, and possibly from the Pride area as well. I’m sure local sports fans will swing by. How will you let visitors know what you’re doing? We have received accreditation from the city that gives us funding and also connects us to Destination Toronto and the city’s FIFA directories. So people will find us in the directories, they’ll find us in some of the publications and promotions coming directly from the city around the World Cup. We’re also connecting directly with international supporter groups. They will be the touchpoint for a lot of people from different countries. Like how the Bayern supporters are the connection for a lot of German supporters. We’re also reaching out to different embassies and different international groups around the city, just to make sure that they know about us. Especially in Europe there’s been some talk of fans boycotting this World Cup because of what the U.S. government is up to these days, around trans rights and other things. How do you think that will affect things for you in Toronto? Interest in Canadian games here in Canada has skyrocketed. There are more people focused on the games here and in Mexico as well, which unfortunately has led to an incredible cost increase for tickets to the games. There’s definitely a lot of demand for the games in Canada. People are not as keen to cross the border, but we have so much we can offer here anyway. We do have all the sister houses in the states, and each of them will be an inclusive space. So if Americans are worried about crossing the border to come here, there’s San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami, all of which are planning pretty robust Pride Houses. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What the travel industry needs to do for trans travellers
Even companies making an effort to be LGBTQ2S+ friendly often forget about the T. Here are some ways to fix that
“LGBTQ2S+ inclusive” can mean different things depending on who you’re talking to. For one tour company, it might mean a rainbow flag decal on their tour bus bumpers. For another, it might mean a same-sex couple occasionally popping up in their promotional material. But very few companies think deeply enough about trans experiences and perspectives to provide truly inclusive LGBTQ2S+ experiences. Many trans travellers attest that “LGBTQ2S+ friendly” doesn’t always mean “trans friendly.” That T doesn’t often get full consideration. The problems begin when trans people don’t feel seen or heard along their journey. In airports, for example, a mix of governments and airport authority policies can make trans travellers feel like outcasts. Dubbs Weinblatt, a NewYork City–based educator, facilitator, speaker, podcaster, and the founder and CEO of the LGBTQ2S+ empowerment organization Thank You For Coming Out, says that most airports have failed to take trans and nonbinary passengers into account. Weinblatt suggests that all airport restrooms should be all-gender (there are some that have all-gender washrooms in addition to binary washrooms). As well, they say that security protocols implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the U.S., and by other government agencies in other countries, should not consider gender at all. Adriana Roberts, a San Francisco–based performer, DJ and founder of the nightlife and music brand Bootie Mashup, is also critical of why gender is relevant to airport security. “When will the TSA modify those damn full-body scanners so they don’t clock your birth gender if you haven’t had bottom surgery?” (Prior to 2025 and the second Donald Trump presidency, the TSA had been updating body scanners, so that operators would no longer need to choose a gender; newer models don’t need to make assumptions about body contours or gendered anatomy to find security anomalies.) And it’s not just the machines that shouldn’t be taking gender into account. “Can we just remove gender markers from government IDs entirely?” asks Roberts. “Is that a thing that the entire world can agree on? Probably not, but a girl can dream.” Beyond law and government policies, the tourism industry itself—airlines, hotels, cruise companies, tour companies, destination marketing organizations, media outlets—has a lot of improving to do. “I’ve been misgendered at the airline check-in desk. I’ve been misgendered by airline flight attendants. I have been misgendered at the check-in desk at hotels,” says Gabrielle Claiborne, an Atlanta-based activist, speaker, business owner, and chair of the Gender Diverse Travel Advisory Group of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association Foundation. “That’s a normal occurrence for a lot of gender-expansive people.” <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="624" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-624x1024.jpg" alt="trans travel industry attention" class="wp-image-9197" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-624x1024.jpg 624w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-183x300.jpg 183w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-768x1261.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-935x1536.jpg 935w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-150x246.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-300x493.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-696x1143.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n-1068x1754.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/479427244_9249293905177569_5004208758075608019_n.jpg 1247w" sizes="(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px" /> Gabrielle Claiborne is an Atlanta-based activist, speaker, business owner, and chair of the Gender Diverse Travel Advisory of Group of the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association Foundation. Credit: Gabrielle Claiborne Claiborne says that most of the travel industry operates within a system where gender is presumed. But that presumption can be wrong. “You cannot make a judgment of a person’s pronouns by simply listening to their vocal register or perceiving their outward gender expression,” she says. “Those are misleading clues.” Claiborne says that truly inclusive travel companies must educate staff about gender-expansive customers, encourage them to use inclusive language, and also update their reservation systems and other methods of collecting customer data. If travellers can’t enter their chosen name, list their proper pronouns or select appropriate honorifics (Mr., Mrs., Miss, Dr., etc.) early on in their dealings with a service provider, they can immediately feel apprehensive. “If you’re not asking for a chosen name, you’re going to deadname that person from the get-go,” says Claiborne. “If you’re not providing a place where I can list my pronouns, you’re more likely to misgender me.” Travel influencer Sam Goldon says that travel writers, editors and influencers can help by vetting the places they’re writing about (or marketing) for their trans friendliness, not just their gay, lesbian and bi friendliness. Goldon says travel media should also be drawing attention to destinations and venues that are not trans friendly. “Call those areas out and give them an opportunity to do better,” they say. Sonali Khan, a trans rights activist based in India and a member of IGLTA Foundations’s Gender Diverse Travel Advisory Group, suggests that it should also be standard practice for hospitality-focused businesses to display a non-discrimination policy about gender identity. “Having a policy on a hotel’s website would make it very easy for us to identify [how friendly they are],” she says. Khan selected a hotel in Vietnam solely because she spotted a barely visible rainbow flag in one of the hotel’s photos on Google Maps. Though she had been testing her luck, she happily discovered upon arrival that the hotel was not just queer friendly but also trans friendly. “Even the reception person was trans,” she says. Khan says it’s often mid-budget hotels and hostels—as opposed to international chains and luxury brands—that neglect to consider trans travellers. If they do welcome trans guests, it’s these lower-cost players who fail to communicate it to potential guests. But many trans travellers cannot afford to stay in the luxury or higher-end properties that market themselves to queer people. Kayley Whalen, a Ph.D. student in anthropology, says she often sees statistics claiming that “LGBTQ2S+ tourists” spend more. While that may be true for certain letters of the acronym, “I can guarantee that the ‘T’ spends less,” she says. Whalen says that this is why many queer-friendly establishments don’t explicitly welcome trans people. “We don’t fall into that category that most travel blogs and the travel industry are interested in, because we don’t have the free money of gay men,” she says. Yet trans people have a high interest in travel, including budget travel. “It is one of the few ways we feel we’re able to express ourselves. Take Thailand, for example. Every trans person dreams of going.” For those on the tightest budgets, hostels are often where they’ll end up staying. But even a hostel that would be considered safe and comfortable by cis travellers may not be for a trans person. “A hostel is usually divided into male and female [dorms],” says Khan. “It feels a little uncomfortable for me to go to a hostel where people might question my gender and ask me, ‘Where do we put you?’” How LGBTQ2S+ travel companies can do better A recent study of trans identity suggests that about one percent of the U.S. population aged 13 or older identifies as trans, though numbers vary around the world and depend on how a culture defines trans. So trans travellers can be hard-pressed to find tourist activities that cater specifically to them. Whalen describes such experiences as “trans-centric travel” as opposed to “trans-inclusive” travel. But she says industry players ranging from tour guides to tourist attractions can at least educate themselves on trans issues. “I want to see trans stories being told and included,” she says. Whalen recalls a “goddess tour” that she went on in Nepal, with the women-owned trekking company Explore Hub Nepal, where the hosts were able to talk about queer and specifically trans religion, culture and history. “As a trans person trying to think about questions like spirituality and history and where my place is in the world, those are the things that interest me,” she says. Whalen says that, at the very least, tour guides for travel companies that cater to the LGBTQ2S+ community should be educated on trans topics and be willing to speak on them. Even a small nod to trans people at an otherwise cis- and straight-leaning attraction can go a long way. In Lima, Peru, for instance, she discovered that a small section of the Lugar de la Memoria (Bajada, Ca. San Martín 151, Miraflores), a museum dedicated to memory, tolerance and social inclusion, was dedicated to queer and trans people who survived the Peruvian internal conflict of the 1980s and ’90s. “I was like, ‘Oh my God. This is amazing seeing that representation at a museum.’” Goldon and their partner host group trips that include many trans travellers. But such trips are not the norm in the queer travel industry. “I will be honest and say that our current client base is not gender diverse,” says Robert Sharp, owner and co-founder of Canada-based Out Adventures, which markets itself as LGBTQ2S+ travel, but its client base is mostly gay men. Sharp has actively been making efforts to improve. “We recently ran a special trip with hand-selected group members who align with our goal of being more inclusive to the broader LGBTQ2S+ community. We’ll slowly start to incorporate these guests into our marketing.” In addition to organizing private excursions for trans clients and requiring that new suppliers undergo diversity, equity and inclusion training, Out Adventures has also started training team members to address the needs of trans and nonbinary travellers. “It’s important for us to work with trans and nonbinary clients, to understand how they present physically and their identification markers, so we can outline any potential issues and recommendations when facing immigration scrutiny at home and abroad,” he says. The cruise company VACAYA also markets itself as an LGBTQ2S+ experience, though a majority of its guests are gay men. Co-founder and chief marketing officer Patrick Gunn says training is integral to the company’s inclusion practices. “We had to ensure our staff training went beyond surface-level inclusivity and fostered a deep understanding of gender identity, pronouns, lived experience and the very real safety concerns trans people face when travelling,” he says. “Centring trans and gender-diverse people requires unlearning, rebuilding and at times pushing against systems that were never designed with them in mind.” Gunn says this process includes adding trans voices to VACAYA’s entertainment and host lineup. It also means ensuring that partners improve how gender data is implemented across booking systems, onboarding forms and onboard experiences. VACAYA trips feature gender-neutral bathrooms as well as lounges where gender-expansive guests can connect and decompress. Most travel companies depend on an array of suppliers—drivers, guides, caterers, venues, resorts, cruise lines, ports, performers—to deliver experiences. Gunn has had to occasionally nudge VACAYA suppliers in the right direction. “Not all of them started from the same place regarding trans inclusion,” he says. “Sometimes that means advocating for changes in forms, policies, uniforms, cabin assignments or guest protocols. Other times, it means choosing not to work with partners unwilling to evolve. Our guests’ dignity and safety are non-negotiable.” Both Out Adventures and VACAYA have seen positive outcomes from their efforts to uplift and support gender-expansive travellers. “We’ve seen higher repeat booking rates among trans and nonbinary guests, stronger word-of-mouth within those communities and a noticeable increase in guests travelling with us for the very first time,” says Gunn. “Particularly from people who had previously written off large-scale travel as ‘not for them.’” Gunn recalls a woman who described her trans wife’s transformation on a VACAYA trip. “She shared that for much of their travel life, her wife had learned to shrink herself, to stay guarded, to avoid attention, to simply get through the experience,” he says. “This vacation she watched her wife soften, open up and fully engage in ways she hadn’t seen before. Joining conversations, laughing easily, making new friends. She felt safe enough to bloom.”
Can you enjoy the Berlin leather scene without wearing leather?
Photographer Tom Klick says you can. He has front-row seats for Folsom Europe and lives in the heart of the gay Berlin leather scene in Schöneberg
When Tom Klick moved to Berlin from Frankfurt 30 years ago, the people he knew living in Berlin told him, “I don’t know any Berliners. All my friends are from somewhere else.” Klick was like, “What’s wrong with you that you can’t meet Berliners? Then I found out, yes, that’s the way it goes.” But there are so many non-Berliners living in Berlin, it all works out. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUkwJLOCHn5/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by TOMKLICK Photographer | Berlin (@tomklickfoto) “When I arrived it was just six years after the wall came down. Everyone was so la-di-da hippie on the meadow in front of the Reichstag. Artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude had just wrapped the Reichstag in silver fabric. It wasn’t the parliament yet. Everything was still un-groomed, unorganized and so nice.” It’s harder to find places to beat the crowds, though they still exist. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-927x1024.jpg" alt="berlin leather scene" class="wp-image-9116" style="width:354px;height:391px" width="354" height="391" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-927x1024.jpg 927w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-272x300.jpg 272w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-768x848.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-1391x1536.jpg 1391w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-150x166.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-300x331.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-696x769.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10-1068x1180.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-10.jpg 1854w" sizes="(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px" /> Photographer Tom Klick. Credit: Tom Klick Klick started taking pictures when he was eight years old. “My grandfather had a camera and my dad had a camera. When I got one, I was infatuated right from the start,” says Klick. It was only as an adult, after his move to Berlin, that he started documenting gay culture, particularly the Berlin leather scene. It came about as a bit of a coincidence. He lives in the area where Folsom Europe (September 10 to 13, 2026) happens—Schöneberg, centred around Fuggerstraße and Welserstraße, which has had a large LGBTQ+ population dating back to the 1920s, making it the world’s oldest gaybourhood. Wander+Lust talked to Klick about his photos, his neighbourhood and how he got into shooting leather guys, even though he’s not a leather guy. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="782" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-782x1024.jpg" alt="berlin leather scene" class="wp-image-9113" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-782x1024.jpg 782w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-229x300.jpg 229w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-768x1006.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-1173x1536.jpg 1173w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-150x196.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-300x393.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-696x911.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03-1068x1399.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-03.jpg 1564w" sizes="(max-width: 782px) 100vw, 782px" /> A little snack at Folsom Europe. Credit: Tom Klick How did you come to document so much of Folsom Europe and Berlin’s fetish culture? I went to one of the first Folsom festivals, back when I lived in Kreuzberg. It must have been more than 20 years ago. I immediately liked the atmosphere. It was so different from the other gay events in Berlin or elsewhere. Back then, most of my friends wouldn’t go. People have forgotten that back then, even in the gay community, the whole SM thing was not mainstream. I thought it was great, because there was an atmosphere of being inclusive without trying. Everybody, really everybody was welcome—I have never had a piece of leather on me in my life, clothing-wise. Still, it didn’t matter. I remember sitting in one of the huge bars, Prinzknecht (Fuggerstraße 33, Berlin), which is still operating and very popular. Some of the windows were open and the festival was happening in the street. I noticed that people had come as themselves—in the way they expressed their sexuality, and in all other respects too. Nobody expected BDSM to become a mainstream thing, or Folsom still being here after all these years. So I started bringing my camera and photographing it. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-768x1024.jpg" alt="berlin leather scene" class="wp-image-9115" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-225x300.jpg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-150x200.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-300x400.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-696x928.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-07.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> Folsom Europe. Credit: Tom Klick Over the years, have people become less shy about strutting their stuff and having their photo taken? The festival has changed a lot. It’s a confined space because it’s basically one small street, the one in front of Prinzknecht, which is closed for the event. With cellphones and cameras everywhere, people don’t care much about that anymore. I rarely have someone say, “No, stop.” What has changed is back in the early days, it was really raw. There was sex happening everywhere. Over the last five years, it’s become way more mainstream, way more crowded, tamer and better groomed. It was about four years ago that they first had signs at the entrance, “No full nudity.” This at a fetish festival in a city where you have naked guys in chastity cages lying around on the Tuntenwiese, the so-called “faggot meadow,” in Tiergarten. It’s an appeasement of gentrification. I mean, we were here first and it’s one damn day of the year. But they have some kind of security running around checking this. The other thing that’s changed is that it’s become more about looks—about expensive gear, looking the right way. You’ve got guys giving masterclasses in Stockholm somewhere, about being the king of Darklands [the Antwerp gay fetish festival that usually happens in March]. If you’re not in gear 24/7, you’re not doing it right. So it’s a lot of strangers putting down other people. This is something I do not like. My pictures from the early Folsoms are really different from the ones happening now. I still try to find this spirit. Living on the fifth floor, I overlook quite an area here. When Folsom is happening, you can see the guys everywhere. Around the corner from me is this tiny supermarket. You get this smile from the cashiers there when you ask, “Has Folsom arrived?” They say, “Oh, we’ve seen some stuff.” There’s this shop run by a Turkish family where they sell rotisserie chicken, and the woman there tells me that Folsom is the nicest festival because there is no gay bitching—everybody queues, everybody is friendly, but they all look like they’ve just arrived from a war zone. When we were setting up this interview, you mentioned you’re not a big nightlife guy. But you live in the heart of Schöneberg. What do you like about the ’hood? I was looking for a place to live where there were no shops underneath. Basically, 12 years ago, it was easy to get an apartment here. When I go to Folsom, I can mix gin tonics in one of those protein shake things and have my own drinks all day. And my friends can come and use my bathroom. It’s also convenient for going to bars like Prinzknecht or my favourite, Woof Berlin (Fuggerstraße 37, Berlin). That’s the bar for the big bears, where I belong. Whenever I bring other friends, they ask, “Can I go there if I’m not a bear?” Of course, everyone’s welcome. Woof also has a tiny dark room. Prinzknecht has a dark room too. You also have Prinz Eisenherz (Motzstraße 23, Berlin), one of the oldest gay bookstores in Germany. They have a great variety of everything, even English books. Of course, around Motzstraße and Fuggerstraße, you can find any gear you want at places like Mister B Berlin (Motzstraße 22, Berlin) and RoB Berlin (Motzstraße 25, Berlin). Maskulo (Fuggerstraße 19, Berlin) has harnesses that are 4 or 5 XL. Wagner Berlin (Motzstraße 32, Berlin) does bags and underwear and stuff that the owner is designing and making himself. You can watch him sewing. It’s out of the mainstream. There’s also Butcherei Lindinger (Motzstraße 18, Berlin), which is quite expensive but high quality leather, because the guy designs it all himself. A little farther away is an SM club called Quälgeist (Lankwitzer Str. 42/43, Berlin). It’s a word you use in Germany if somebody really gets on your nerves, you say, “Oh, he’s a quälgeist,” It means “torture”—they also use it in BDSM. They have different theme nights and great playrooms that are always clean and nice. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1007" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-1007x1024.jpg" alt="berlin leather scene" class="wp-image-9112" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-1007x1024.jpg 1007w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-295x300.jpg 295w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-768x781.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-1510x1536.jpg 1510w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-150x153.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-300x305.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-696x708.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-1068x1087.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02-1920x1953.jpg 1920w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-02.jpg 2013w" sizes="(max-width: 1007px) 100vw, 1007px" /> Shades at Folsom Europe. Credit: Tom Klick Aside from Folsom Europe in the fall, there’s also Easter Berlin Fetish Week in the spring, right? Yes, and remember, they’re booked up months in advance. Try to find a place to stay early on, because so many people come here for it every year. I always say, don’t be afraid. You see in the pictures, guys all in leather or fetish gear. That makes for more interesting pictures. But I have never worn any leather when I go, and it’s totally okay. There is no right, there is no wrong. If you enjoy having your friend on a dog collar and you’re dressed normally, then that’s your thing. And for non-gay stuff? You can do something else except drinking and having sex in Berlin. Just around the corner is KaDeWe-Kaufhaus des Westens (Tauentzienstraße 21-24, Berlin), the famous mainstream Berlin department store. I’m about a 10-minute scooter ride from Berlin Kulturforum (Matthäikirchplatz, Berlin) where the huge galleries are, like the Neue Nationalgalerie, which was designed by Mies van der Rohe—a huge building with great works of expressionists and others. Then the Gemäldegalerie, where you can basically walk through art history. They have paintings that, in the Louvre or the Prado, you would have to queue for hours to see. Sometimes I think it’s because the museums in Berlin are so bad at marketing that we can just go there and stand in front of these masterpieces instead of having to navigate crowds. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="684" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-1024x684.jpg" alt="berlin leather scene" class="wp-image-9111" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-300x200.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-768x513.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-150x100.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-696x465.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-1068x713.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01-1920x1282.jpg 1920w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Folsom-Europe-Tomklick-01.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Cruising at Folsom Europe. Credit: Tom Klick You have an Italian boyfriend, I think? Boyfriend is not the right word, but it’s a great relationship. He’s from Venice. If you open a hookup app in Venice, there are guys from all around the world there—it’s such a familiar hotspot of tourism. Italian guys are really handsome, so that makes it easy. I have also found out over time that Venice doesn’t have to be expensive. If you get away from the tourist highway between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge along the Canal Grande, you can easily sit somewhere and get an espresso for one and a half euros, an Aperol Spritz for four euros, instead of a 10-euro cover charge and a nine-euro espresso. You go a few bridges from the tourist highway and suddenly it’s a small Italian city where vegetables are being sold off a boat. Just follow the locals. They are always wearing sunglasses. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
We pull back the curtain on Tokyo gay snack bars
Tokyo has lots of Western-style gay bars and clubs. But its ‘snack bar’ scene will blow your mind…if you can get inside of one
Even for gay travellers who have been there and done that all over the world, the Tokyo scene can overturn habits and expectations. Don’t worry—I’m not trying to scare you. The Japanese capital, which has a metro population of more than 40 million, has something for everybody. It certainly has a gay scene that Western visitors would find familiar. The Ni-chōme neighbourhood of the district of Shinjuku has a classic gaybourhood. Walk from the top of Naka-dōri Avenue down to Gyoen National Garden and you’ll see rainbow flags, street-level bars, sex and underwear shops, posters for upcoming gay events, and drag queens coming and going from gigs, just like you’d see in any gay village around the globe. For example, at AiiRO CAFÉ (1F, Dai-7 Tenka Building, on Naka-dōri Ave., 2-18-1 Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, Tokyo), a visitor can spot the bar’s rainbow flags down the block, see how busy it is from the street, walk in with minimal scrutiny, order a drink at the stand-up bar, then enjoy the atmosphere provided by the DJ and the fellow customers, chatting, cruising or staying quiet as they see fit. Easy peasy. But Tokyo has many scenes, including a gay bar culture that’s unique, somewhat mysterious and sometimes less welcoming to visitors. (I’ll get to the why of that “less welcoming” in a moment.) It’s said that Shinjuku has about 300 gay bars—the densest concentration of gay bars in the world—while the district of Shinbashi has about 50, Ueno-Asakusa about 45. Most of these bars are what are called “sunakku bā” or “snack bars.” You wouldn’t even know they’re there if you didn’t go looking for them. Some of them seat as few as five or six people; at the biggest you could pack in maybe 50 people shoulder to shoulder, for a frisky beer bust. Most of them are in the upper floors of various nondescript five-to-eight-storey buildings around Tokyo, as many as five bars per floor. The history of these snack bars goes back to the Second World War, when Tokyo, especially Shinjuku, was in ruins and struggling economically. Land was subdivided into extremely small plots where entrepreneurs opened bars and snack counters in tiny shanties that could seat between five and 15 patrons. To get a sense of what Ni-chōme felt like back in the 1950s and ’60s, visitors can walk around the nearby Golden Gai, a mostly straight entertainment district, which is jammed full with around 280 tiny bars, some with room for only one or two patrons at a time, in ramshackle wooden buildings down narrow alleyways. The history in Golden Gai is preserved in the architecture. But in Ni-chōme, from the ’60s through the ’80s, these small buildings were gradually replaced by tall, narrow concrete towers, called Zakkyo Biru, where landlords would rent out the space to snack bar owners and other entrepreneurs (you can also find gay cruising clubs, called hattenbas, in these buildings). So that explains how Japan got these living room–sized socializing spaces in “vertical villages.” But how did they come to be so integral to Tokyo gay life? In the early 20th century, Ni-chōme was a straight red-light district. But following a 1958 ban on prostitution, the LGBTQ+ community started taking over spaces once occupied by sex workers. In the early days, these businesses were unassuming tea and coffee shops, but by the ’60s they had evolved into tiny LGBTQ+ bars, first discreetly, then more openly in the ’80s and onwards. But not always completely openly. The façades of these bar-filled buildings usually feature stacked signs listing the businesses inside, some in Japanese, many in English. Some of the English names may come off as gay-ish, like Bar Blacknude Hero (a gay bar), Diva (gay), Guyzuba (think “guys,” so gay) or Bar G-Pit (trans men), while other names don’t tip their hat very much, like Mark Land (gay), Diamondholic (lesbian) or The Onee Stars (mixed, gay welcoming). For a visitor, it can be hard to figure out what’s behind each name seen on the side of a building without going up the stairs or the elevator and stepping inside. If a newbie were handed a list of all of the Tokyo gay snack bars, how would they even pick one? It’s all very beguiling, perhaps even intimidating. What makes it even trickier is that each of these bars tends to have a niche based on age, gender identity, sexual tastes, musical tastes, body type, socio-economic status, personal style, a combination of several factors…or just vibe. Sometimes that niche is clear and regulated—the demographics of the patrons, for example, may be stated on a sign at the door or on a bar’s website. But more often it’s more subtle and not clearly stated, based on aesthetics rather than a definable identity. Perhaps a patron who doesn’t fit in is rejected by a simple headshake upon entry. Unless they’ve been told about a snack bar by someone who’s spent time there, a visitor doesn’t know what to expect until they step inside, and even then they might need a few minutes or hours to get a sense of the crowd. The niche, whatever it may be, is established by the proprietor, who is often the main bartender. The looks, sensibility, taste and business style of each owner-bartender, called “masters” or “mama-sans,” determines the client base. Typically the owner-bartender—in gay snack bars, he’s usually good looking, charming or both—is at the centre of the action. For contrast, imagine a couple of friends going to a gay bar in Europe or North America. Sure, they may sit at the bar, but if they want a quiet chat, they may pick seats away from the bar. In one of Shinjuku’s counter bars, though, patrons are almost always going to sit at the bar and interact with the bartender unless those seats are already occupied. It’s more like visiting someone in their home than going to a conventional bar. Most of these counter bars charge a cover charge, anything from 1,000 yen (CA$8.65) to 3,000 (CA$26), which may include basic snacks, like cookies or crackers, or even fancier cooked dishes. Each bar’s drink selection, food selection and pricing system (all-you-can-drink, for example) may also be unique. So to get back to that “welcoming” question. Yes, some bars have “no foreigner” policies.” In some cases, this could be chalked up to xenophobia. But more often, I’m told by Tokyo friends, it’s a question of language. Most of these places don’t have dancing, so conversation is the point. If the bar is about chatting with the owner and you can’t speak Japanese and they can’t speak your language, why bother? If the bar has a complicated cover charge/pricing system and the owner can’t explain it to a non-Japanese speaker, then is it worth the potential hassle and surprise when the bill is presented at the end of the night? The owner’s curation of the space includes curation of the patrons, perhaps by age, body type or personal style. For example, if you’re not wearing leather, why are you trying to get into a leather bar? A Westerner might wince at the idea of discrimination based on identity and appearance, but the Japanese attitude seems to be: Aren’t there 299 other gay snack bars you can go to? A patron could also be turned away because a bar caters so narrowly to a group of regulars that a newbie is occupying someone’s favourite seat. In fact, these counter bars are so dependent on regulars, there’s a whole system where a customer buys an entire bottle of spirits, which is marked as theirs; each time they visit, their drinks are poured from their own bottle. That investment in the enterprise, and the promise of repeat business, is what creates the familial feel that regulars love about snack bars. It’s where LGBTQ+ patrons let their guard down completely. Many Japanese people may not be out to their families or at work. That’s why many snack bars require an introduction, with newcomers only being welcome if accompanied by a regular. These more exclusive snack bars may put something like “Private members club” on their sign, to save a visitor the embarrassment of being rejected when arriving alone. How do I visit a Japanese gay snack bar? <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-768x1024.jpg" alt="tokyo gay snack bars" class="wp-image-9132" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-225x300.jpg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-150x200.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-300x400.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-696x928.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312192949-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> Look up. Signs on the front of buildings hint at what’s inside. But can you spot the gay ones? Credit: Paul Gallant For a foreign visitor who wants to experience this distinctly Japanese subculture, there are a few strategies, most of which require trial and error, reading the room (or the website) and chatting with locals. Firstly, an English bar name is not necessarily an indication that the proprietor or clientele speaks English or welcome English speakers; in Japan, English is often used simply for the cool factor or because the characters fit nicely on a small sign. But if there are other English words on their sign, like “Welcome” or “Drink specials” or, better yet, “We speak English,” that’s a good indication the mamma-san will welcome an English-speaking visitor with a smile. This also applies to online research. If a bar has English on its website or social media feeds, it’s more likely that they’ll welcome English speakers. Take a look at photos they’ve posted online: Do the demographics of the clients match up with yours? How big is the place? The bigger the bar, the more likely they’ll be flexible; if you’re a buzzkill in a five-seater, you could really ruin the other four patrons’ night out. Though it may take more time, chatting up locals at Western-style gay bars, discussing which bars will welcome someone like you, may also point you in the right direction. Snack bars to visit One that I can personally vouch for as being extremely welcoming to gay men from around the globe is Kang Kang (4F, 2 Chome-10-2 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo), which is run by the Korean proprietor Hiro-san who is most definitely good looking and charming, as are his friendly staff and his patrons. Most importantly, Hiro-san speaks English. The bar has a half dozen seats and the booth can seat about 10 people, but Hiro-san will haul out extra chairs if he needs to. He redecorates regularly, according to the season, and is known to host fundoshi (a Japanese loincloth/jockstrap) parties where as many as 50 frisky patrons squeeze into the bar and onto its terrace. Bar G-Pit (2F, Chome-7-5 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo). Founded in 2010 as a home base for trans men and their allies, this friendly bar, which seats up to 30 people, ticks various foreigner-friendly boxes: menu and signage in English, and transparent pricing (with photos!). The décor is neon and plastic superhero and animated figures. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWskfkZEt6x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by BAR G-pit (@bar_gpit) GB Tokyo (B1, 2 Chome-12-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo). Opened in 1986, this is one of the longest-standing gay snack bars and has built its reputation on being international, with English-speaking staff. With its old Hollywood portrait gallery, it attracts an older crowd with lots of regulars. Pawpads (3F, 2 Chome-12-16 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo). Though you’ll find a lot of younger bearish guys here, they welcome “all genres” of gay men and first timers. They have an English menu. Bar Blacknude Hero and Club Blacknude (1FB ＆ B1A, 2 Chome-15-12 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo). Although the cover charge and drink pricing is a little complicated (there’s one cover for the muscle bar, where hot muscle guys serve drinks, and one fee for the underwear club, where hot muscle guys put on shows), the website and menu are available in English and they actively welcome foreigners. It’s tiny but the guys are ripped. agit (1F, 2 Chome-15-9 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo). English-speakers are welcome at this cosy women-centred snack bar. The same team runs Anchor Rainbow Port Tokyo (2 Chome-12-15 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo), an all-gender snack bar with a manga reading library. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DUx0J1sEQ8x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by ANCHOR rainbow port tokyo (@anchor.rainbow_port_tokyo) <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-768x1024.jpg" alt="tokyo gay snack bars" class="wp-image-9130" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-225x300.jpg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-150x200.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-300x400.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-696x928.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-1068x1424.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG20260312185904-scaled.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> The writer and the crew at FILL. Why settle for a snack when you can have a delicious meal in a gay snack bar setting? Fill (2F, 2 Chome-9-17 Shinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo) is a 12-seater where the owner is a chef who cooks a variety of Japanese and international dishes. Shinbashi is often considered the third-largest gay district in Tokyo after Shinjuku Ni-chōme and Ueno-Asakusa. It attracts more of a business man/after-work crowd. Editor’s note: The cost of the writer’s trip to Tokyo was partly supported by the Tokyo Convention and Visitor Bureau. The sponsor of the trip did not direct or review coverage. The views expressed are the writer’s own.
Will Eurovision in Vienna this May be the queerest ever?
For the second time in Eurovision’s history, a queer performer is bringing the competition to Austria’s capital. But ESC 2026 is not without controversy
For the third time in the 70-year history of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), Vienna, Austria, will host the campy glitter-flecked musical competition this May. It’s the second time that an out queer performer has won Vienna the privilege of hosting the world’s largest, longest-running annual non-sporting television event, which last year was watched by 166 million people around the globe, so many of them gay, gay, gay. Gay drag queen Conchita Wurst (Thomas Neuwirth) brought the spotlight to Vienna in 2015 when she won ESC 2014 with her song “Rise Like a Phoenix.” (The country that wins usually hosts the following year.) Last year’s victory, by queer Vienna singer JJ and the song “Wasted Love,” is bringing ESC back just nine years later. By contrast, the gap between Austria’s first winner, Udo Jürgens singing “Merci, Chérie” in 1966, and its second winner Conchita Wurst was 48 long years. “Many Eurovision Song Contest fans weren’t alive when we hosted back in 1966. When Conchita Wurst won, I had just started to work for the tourist board,” says Helena Steinhart, a spokesperson for the Vienna Tourist Board. “It was unclear what hosting would mean for the city. When a country is part of Eurovision but never wins, and therefore never hosts, it becomes, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ Nobody expected the win in 2014, but the excitement was huge. To do it again less than 10 years later, people are really into it. We’ve been through the experience of how much fun it can be.” Is it a coincidence that it’s another queer performer who is bringing the world to Vienna again? Maybe, maybe not. With its mix of pulsing techno beats and operatic vocals (JJ trained at the Opera School of the Vienna State Opera), “Wasted Love” is the perfect anthem for modern Vienna—a hybrid suitable for both the classical concert hall and the dancefloor at a gay club. “Vienna is known as a capital of music, but mostly classical music,” says Steinhart. “Think Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and Mahler. Then you have JJ, who is an opera singer who represents a younger generation and a different musical style—it’s perfect for Vienna.” An estimated 88,000 fans will descend on Vienna for the ESC 2026, which takes place from May 12 to 16. Throw in local enthusiasts and you’ve got about 100,000 people watching the nine rehearsals and live shows happening in Wiener Stadthalle, which holds about 16,000 attendees. Even though it’s a city of two million, it will feel like a takeover. ESC 2026 is not without controversy. More than 1,100 musicians and cultural workers have called for a boycott because of the inclusion of Israel, amid growing pressure to ban the country over its war on Gaza. Signatories include openly gay artists John Grant, Jónsi and his bandmates in Sigur Rós, Fado Bicha, Bashar Murad and Planningtorock, which is led by Jam Rostron, among others. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain all withdrew from this year’s competition in protest of Israel. Last December Nemo, who won ESC in 2025, taking the honour of being the first nonbinary person to do so, returned their trophy in protest of Israel’s inclusion in 2026. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="767" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-1024x767.jpg" alt="eurovision in vienna" class="wp-image-9080" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-300x225.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-768x575.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-1536x1150.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-2048x1534.jpg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-150x112.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-696x521.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-1068x800.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/41042-1920x1438.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Wiener Stadthalle is where the magic will happen. Credit: WienTourismus/Christian Stemper Many, though, will not boycott, and perhaps boo Israel during the competition. There will be many queer acts to cheer for. For those unable to snag Wiener Stadthalle tickets, Vienna has plans to spread the Eurovision pageantry, energy and queerness all over the city. The heart of the fan experience will be at Rathausplatz, which is the square in front of City Hall. Free to enter, and open every day from 11 a.m. to midnight, the square will host live performances, DJ sets, local street food, public screenings of what’s happening in Weiner Stadthalle and many other surprises. The entire square will be covered with a turquoise carpet. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-1024x683.jpg" alt="eurovision in vienna" class="wp-image-9082" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-300x200.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-768x512.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-150x100.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-696x464.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/52047-1920x1280.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> The main viewing party will be in the square just outside Vienna’s gorgeous city hall. Credit: WienTourismus/Gregor Hofbauer “The Emperor in the 1860s had the city wall dismantled and had all these important and beautiful buildings built around the square by the best architects of the time, so it’s like an outdoor museum,” says Steinhart. “Nothing can be more official and prominent than this square, which really shows you how important Eurovision is to the city of Vienna.” Though many of the special events are still being planned, visitors should expect all the gay bars—and many of the straight ones—to host viewing parties and shows connected to ESC. For those who need a break from Eurovision mania, Steinhart suggests checking out some of Vienna’s green spaces. “One other thing people are not aware of is that Vienna is an extremely green city—more than 50 percent of the city’s surface is woods, vineyards and parks. Visitors should go to Danube Island, which was created in the 1970s and ’80s as a flood-protection project. It’s a place where you can go swimming or just rest. Most of the beaches are free. There are two metro stations on the island, so it’s just 15 or maybe 17 minutes from the city centre.” <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-1024x683.jpg" alt="eurovision in Vienna" class="wp-image-9081" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-300x200.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-768x512.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-150x100.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-696x464.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/50860-1920x1281.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Danube Island is easy to get to and a perfect place to escape the crowds. Credit: WienTourismus/Gregor Hofbauer JJ will definitely be making an appearance at Vienna’s ESC. Will fans see him out at his favourite gay bar? You never know. On the turquoise carpet in Rathausplatz? Highly likely. Though this year’s contestant selection process was not finalized when this story was published, we can tell you that Greece, Denmark and Belgium are sending openly LGBTQ+ contestants this year. In total, 35 countries are participating in 2026, including Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova, which had skipped some recent tournaments, mostly due to costs. In total, 35 countries are participating in 2026, including Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova, which had skipped some recent tournaments, mostly due to costs. In addition to the five boycotting because of Israel’s inclusion in the competition and that country’s conduct in the war against Hamas in Gaza, Russia has been excluded from the contest since 2022, when it invaded Ukraine. Wanna know what to do in Vienna in between Eurovision shows? Check out our insider’s guide to the best of LGBTQ+ Vienna and our interview with sensational Viennese drag queen Ryta Tale about her Vienna favourites.
When a queer group trip to Sardinia isn’t about Sardinia at all
All-inclusive group travel was never my thing. But then I spent a week hanging in a villa with a gaggle of gays
Sitting around the outdoor long table after dinner with our eyes closed, the gamemaster Hannes tapped me on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw my two fellow Traitors, Valdi and Eva, claiming me as one of their own. I’ve never watched The Traitors, the reality murder-mystery game show hosted in the U.S. by Alan Cumming and by others around the world, but learned while playing an IRL version of The Traitors that I’m surprisingly adept at this game of deception. In the end, all three of us traitors made it to the very end, and my wife, Debbie, was absolutely astounded to learn that I was one of the bad guys. While she fake-shamed me for my feigned innocence after we won the game, we traitors celebrated our victory with finger snaps, whoops and a glass of Prosecco. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-1024x576.jpg" alt="group travel in sardinia" class="wp-image-9087" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-300x169.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-768x432.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-150x84.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-696x392.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_0365-1920x1080.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> The gang’s all here. Credit: Laimonas Dom Baranauskas Twelve of us were together for a late-season week at Villa La Belle Étoile, four lesbians and eight gay men. No surprise, it was the other lesbian couple who organized the trip and invited everybody to join them. Yes, lesbians are always the planners. But we’re all friends, with my wife and I the only members of the group not from Iceland. I don’t typically seek out group travel or all-inclusive queer settings. Yet this queer group trip to Sardinia offered a reframing of what “all-in” can mean, especially when the setting is a private 10-bedroom beachfront villa in Torre Delle Stelle in southern Sardinia, a large Italian island in the western Mediterranean. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited.jpg" alt="queer group trip to sardinia" class="wp-image-9095" style="width:409px;height:749px" width="409" height="749" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited.jpg 1017w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-164x300.jpg 164w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-559x1024.jpg 559w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-768x1408.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-838x1536.jpg 838w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-150x275.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-300x550.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/D7FBCC07-20E1-4D4A-AE22-9E9662BE575D-edited-696x1276.jpg 696w" sizes="(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px" /> The house cats kept us company. Credit: Laimonas Dom Baranauska Early November temperatures in Sardinia are still quite comfortable, about 22 Celsius in the daytime, 15 Celsius in the evenings—sunny enough to wear shorts every day then change into sweaters and long pants in the evening. The sea was cool, but warm enough after the long, hot summer that people went into the water. Located a 45-minute drive from Cagliari Airport, the villa overlooks a rocky stretch of coastline, where scrubby plants give way to stone and open water. The house itself is more comfortable luxury, built around outdoor spaces with an infinity pool, multiple levels, wide terraces, hidden stone pathways and rooms left open to the air. I’d start every day by opening the door to our private patio to say good morning to one of the many feral but friendly cats that were always roaming the property. Everything was included in the (surprisingly reasonable for what we experienced) price of our stay. That meant all of our meals were taken care of, drinks were free flowing and if we needed anything, we only had to ask one of the two amazing staff members, Giuseppe and Daniela, who were onsite from morning until evening. Because of that, our days had a simple rhythm. Just before 9 a.m., everybody would make their way to the dining area in pyjamas and robes for a breakfast buffet. My wife and I were often the last to arrive, with Birna and Eva already two espressos in, and Valdi fresh and pumped from a morning workout. After breakfast we’d all fan out and do whatever we liked, be it swimming, reading in a hidden nook, exercising in the on-site gym, doing some remote work or lounging in the sunshine doing absolutely nothing. On the second day of our stay, Giuseppe told my wife that there was an underwater Virgin Mary statue about 500 metres from our villa, so a small group decided to paddleboard out to see if they could find it. They didn’t, but while looking my wife accidentally dropped her Ray-Bans in the water. After half an hour of searching for them with no luck, it was decided the group would return later that afternoon to try again. They were never found, but paddling out to “look for the sunglasses” became a daily activity. And no, the statue wasn’t ever seen. On the last day we learned it wasn’t even located in that area. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="768" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-1024x768.jpg" alt="queer group travel in sardinia" class="wp-image-9091" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-300x225.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-768x576.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-150x113.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-696x522.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-1068x801.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833-1920x1440.jpg 1920w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_9833.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> The villa. Credit: Laimonas Dom Baranauska At 1 p.m. every day, Giuseppe would strike a gong loud enough to be heard across the property and down at the water, which meant it was time to head back to the dining area for lunch. Meals were prepared by a ridiculously talented on-site chef with a menu written on a small chalkboard, offering a couple of different options with everything served family style. Beetroot risotto, short ribs, pasta at most lunches and salad all the time. One evening we were surprised to see Horse Roll written on the menu. Horse Roll? Was this a weird translation issue? No, it really was fine pieces of seasoned horse meat rolled in filo pastry. While many North Americans might be stymied by this ingredient, as a former Montrealer I wasn’t surprised to see it on the menu, nor were the Icelanders. It was delicious. Afternoons were spent much the same way as our mornings, and by late day we’d usually head back to our rooms for a quick shower and to change before meeting up around 6-ish for aperitivo and dinner at 7 p.m. Meals were slow and leisurely, with an informal rule that we shouldn’t always sit next to a spouse or close friends and should instead spend time next to people we didn’t know as well. As a result, by the time we left Sardinia, I felt like I had a deep connection with everybody we’d met on the trip. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-768x1024.jpeg" alt="group travel in sardinia" class="wp-image-9089" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-225x300.jpeg 225w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-150x200.jpeg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-300x400.jpeg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-696x928.jpeg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763-1068x1424.jpeg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_6763.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> Swimming and water sports were on the menu. Credit: Laimonas Dom Baranauska After dinner we’d hang around chatting, playing games, re-enacting scenes from Real Housewives (I was Bethenny Frankel), sing karaoke down in the basement (a boozy “O Canada” was performed by Icelanders for my benefit) or head to bed early. One of our group was a photographer, so there were also lots of impromptu Mediterranean photo sessions and new Grindr profile pics. But with the closest match more than 30 kilometres away, the Grindr shots would only be put to work when the guys got back to Iceland. While we mainly stuck close to the villa, our last day was spent in the water on a small yacht. But after almost a week of perfect weather, things turned. After a short, choppy sail out to a nearby bay, we anchored only to find the water so cold that no one wanted to swim. Instead, we quickly went through the Prosecco and packed lunch until some seriously dark clouds started to approach and the captain suggested we head back early. As we got close to our villa, though, the skies cleared, the sun came out and the water calmed, so we dropped anchor again to enjoy the yacht experience. People started jumping into the water and swimming, but those of us still onboard realized that we were out of Prosecco. Seeing as we were only a few hundred metres away from our villa, one of our group, Laimonas, texted his husband back on the mainland and asked him to paddle board out with more Prosecco. He did—to much fanfare. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="576" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-576x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9086" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-576x1024.jpg 576w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-169x300.jpg 169w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-1152x2048.jpg 1152w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-150x267.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-300x533.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-696x1237.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-1068x1898.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FullSizeRender_VSCO-scaled.jpg 1440w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /> Included meals made all the difference. Credit: Laimonas Dom Baranauska In one sense, this week could have happened anywhere in the Mediterranean. We mainly spent our time at the property—I couldn’t tell you much about Sardinia except that I love Monica (that’s the name of the local Sardinian red wine grape, not another woman) and that once November rolls around pretty much everything there is closed. It’s true there wasn’t much cultural immersion on our holiday. Some may consider that a drawback, seeing as we’d gone all the way to Italy. In this case, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Before the trip I’d wondered if it might be a bit weird hanging out with the same people all day, every day. But I hadn’t truly understood how relaxing a week like this could be like. As a group, we all just vibed together. There was no gender separation, everybody was fully respectful of one another and our time together was comfortably drama free, something people may find a bit surprising for a group of 12 queers. There was something quietly joyous about us doing nothing together. No nightlife agenda, no museum checklist, no searching out the hot new restaurant, no pressure to perform vacation productivity. It was easy fun mixed with many deep conversations about life, love and family. It reminded me of the simple joys of playing games together. In the end, we were all faithfuls, without a traitor to be seen. After a lifetime of avoiding all-inclusive group travel, I learned it can be an incredibly positive experience in the right circumstances.
6 queer literary tours that will spark your imagination
LGBTQ2S+ culture has been shaped by books as well as film, TV and politics. Here are six city tours that celebrate our literary titans
We complain these days of queer representation on TV and in movies, but some of our greatest LGBTQ2S+ cultural ambassadors have been writers. From impassioned poet Walt Whitman, the scathing wit of Oscar Wilde and gender-questioning Virginia Woolf to more modern figures like James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Yukio Mishima and the Tom Ripley books, Patricia Highsmith, writers have captured our queer lives and sensibilities better than anyone. They’ve made us visible on the page, which has led to us being more visible in society and on the screens we love so much. Visiting the various places where these titans were born, wrote their books, loved their lovers, walked the streets and were buried can be a deeply moving travel experience. Emotional sweep aside, literary tours can be a super fun way to explore a new city. The guides and group members are likely to be fellow nerdy queers. The routes and sites are beyond the usual tourist traps. Extended rumination upon the role of queer literary figures in the march toward equality is purely optional. Of course, LGBTQ2S+-focused literary tours are a niche attraction. We’ve scoured the globe to find queer literary tours in major cities around the world. We’ve also given the details for our own self-guided tour of one of our favourite cities. Greenwich Village Queer Literary History Walk Greenwich Village in New York City was home to an extraordinary, dynamic literary scene before the 1969 Stonewall Riots galvanized the equality movement in the United States. Journalist and filmmaker Jillian Eugenios meets participants in Washington Square before taking them on a journey through time, covering the literary scene as well as Broadway’s theatre scene. What sets this tour apart is Eugenios’s focus on the women and people of colour who were integral to New York’s literary activism at the time. Stops include the site of New York’s first lesbian bar, the Women’s House of Detention, which played a major part in shaping Greenwich Village into a place of queer activism; and the beloved Henrietta Hudson lesbian bar (438 Hudson St., Manhattan, New York).Topics of discussion include female playwrights and female novelists. Booked through Airbnb. The Paris Queer Litterature Walk Paris has played host to enough queer writers to fill a circuit party and then some. Among them: Colette, James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Jean Genet, Radclyffe Hall and Gertrude Stein. This private group tour by the well-reviewed Queer Tours France is perfect for anyone who draws inspiration from seeing the haunts of such writers in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter. Though many pilgrims to Paris visit the famous Père-Lachaise Cemetery on their own, checking out the tombs of Wilde, Stein, Proust and many other queer figures, Queer Tours France also offers a tour of the graveyard for those who want a more in-depth experience. You know what they say: Bury your gays. Tours, which can accommodate up to 12 people, are available in English and several other languages. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWCIEmNDAwx/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Queer Tours France (@queertoursfrance) The Queer Berlin Tour & Finn Ballard’s LGBTIQ+ Berlin The German capital is so queer it’s got not one but two excellent tours focused on LGBTQ+ history, each with a lot of literary references. The Queer Berlin Tour, one of six private tours offered by Berlin Metropolis, draws from real texts from LGBTQ+ writers and poets to bring historic tales of the city to life. The life of late Afro-German poet, educator and activist May Ayim Ufer (1960–1996) plays a prominent role in the walking tour, which makes stops at a former cabaret and the renowned Schwules Museum (Lützowstraße 73, Tiergarten, Berlin). Finn Ballard’s much-loved queer tour, one of 10 he offers, focuses on Schöneberg in the 1920s, taking guests by the site of Germany’s first queer bookstore, Eisenherz, as well as the former home of British expat writer Christopher Isherwood, whose Berlin writings were the basis of the musical and movie Cabaret. Interestingly, perhaps, Berlin Metropolis’s Scott is originally from Scotland, Ballard from Ireland, so yeah, the tours are in English. Bookings are available on their websites. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXKbJg_jD7q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Finn Ballard Tours (@finnballardtours) The London Queer Tour The writers featured on the tour range from Bloomsbury Group darling Virginia Woolf to a marooned British soldier who was exiled for sodomy in the early 18th century. The Bloomsbury Group, an influential circle of writers and intellectuals who rebelled against societal and gender norms in the early 20th century, are a main character in the itinerary: their ghosts haunt visitors (metaphorically) as they visit and pass by tea shops, bars, theatres and a bookshop. The tour also references Charlotte Charke aka Charles Brown, a lesser-known 18th-century actor and playwright who challenged gender norms both on and off the stage. There is, of course, a stop in the Soho gaybourhood for a drink, to talk about all these literary discoveries. The tour is available through the British Guild of Tourist Guides website. Our self-guided literary tour of Mexico City There are plenty of literary tours to be found throughout Latin America, but none of them, sadly, are LGBTQ+ focused. Considering Mexico City has one of the richest concentrations of public sites honoring queer writers, it’s time to remedy that. We suggest starting at the Museo del Estanquillo (Isabel La Católica 26, Centro Histórico, Mexico City), where the collected musings of the Carlos Monsiváis are available for viewing. An influential philosopher, writer, critic, journalist and political activist, Monsiváis worked to advance the causes of sexual minorities. Though he never wrote about his own sexuality, he had a Pride flag placed on his coffin during his funeral in 2010. A stroll along the busy commercial street Avenida 5 de Mayo will help a visitor understand the “urban theatres” that Monsiváis referred to so often in his work—the streets as a stage that can be viewed for entertainment and inspiration. From there, head to Zona Rosa, the triangular gaybourhood defined by Florencia, Insurgentes Sur and Reforma. Not only is it a hub of gay nightlife, it’s where visitors will find Centro Cultural Xavier Villaurrutia (Locales 11-12, Centro Glorieta del Metro Insurgentes, Av. de los Insurgentes, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City), a cultural space named after an essential (and gay) Mexican cultural figure who wrote poetry and plays in the early 20th century. The centre features exhibits by international artists as well as hosting music, dance, theatre and literary events. There’s a book club, for those who arrange their schedule to take part, and a movie-screening club. Further south, in the neighbourhood of Coyoacán, the Biblioteca Salvador Novo (Av. Francisco Sosa 383, Santa Catarina, Coyoacán, Mexico City) is named after a famous gay writer and intellectual. Novo was part of the Mexican modernist writers’ group Los Contemporáneos and was openly gay in the 1960s and ’70s—unusual in Mexico of that era. The surrounding streets comprise Novo’s former haunts. Heading back north, a café stop in Colonia Roma will evoke the smoky, passionate rendezvous of the openly bisexual poet Pita Amor. Remarkably, she was famous enough as a poet that after she died in 2000, a late-night sketch comedy show created a parody character inspired by her. Ágora Café (Acapulco 13 B, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City) is a solid choice for a coffee-fuelled moment to think about Amor.
12 dark & dirty gay parties you need to check out this year
Whatever fetish you’re into, there’s a gathering for it in the next seven months. Here are the deets of our top 12 dirty gay parties. Start packing
There are parties where the fun is 100 percent on the dancefloor and maybe on the stage. A lot of circuit parties are like that. But then there are parties that turn up the temperature, that encourage, um, patron-generated entertainment. Libido can be as important as beats-per-minute. We’ve sussed out some of the 2026’s wildest gay parties. Some of them target bears, some of them target leather dudes. Some of them provide a home for deviants of all sorts. Here are the 12 that really got us going. Whether you’re hardcore or merely curious, put these dirty gay parties and festivals in your calendar. HustlaBall Toronto Toronto, Ontario, May 15 to 17, 2026 A celebration of the adult entertainment industry—content creation in all its lusty forms—the HustlaBall franchise has thrown fantastic sexed-up parties in London, New York, Tel Aviv, Las Vegas and Berlin (see HustlaBall Berlin below). This is the debut HustlaBall in Canada’s largest city and it’s looking like it will be a sensation. Declaring that it’s not a circuit party, the HustlaBall is meant to be sex-positive but less judgmental—more community-minded than the circuit scene. The four parties include dancing, of course, but also the “royal stables,” which aims to be a version of Europe’s infamous gay “horse market” or “horse fair” parties. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCuSb_wOkvc/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by PinkGlobus.com by PHIL HOLLISTER (@pinkglobus) International Mr. Leather (IML) Chicago, Illinois, May 21–25, 2026 Founded in 1979, IML is arguably the most famous leather event in the world. About 16,000 people (mostly men, but there are some women, trans and nonbinary attendees), including 10,000 who attend official events, descend on Chicago every Memorial Day weekend to party, check out the leather market and watch the competition. What brings everyone together is a) leather, lots and lots of leather, b) a sex-positive atmosphere, c) great parties, d) the historic legacy of the event, and most of all e) the intense camaraderie and friendship that blooms among attendees. Whether you are looking for high-production dance parties or the dark, heavy cruising found at unofficial events, this weekend is the ultimate global summit for the leather community. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CeWWa-GLdAF/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Enrique Villalobos (@lenriquevj) Fetish Spring Vienna, Austria, June 4 to 7, 2026 Founded in 1985, LMC Vienna (Leather & Motorbike Community Vienna) has been bringing Austria’s and Europe’s leather community together for more than 40 years. Although they host events all year long, their springtime festival focuses on the lighter side of leather and fetish but doesn’t skimp on the heat. The program includes the election of Mr. Fetish Austria and a series of high-concept parties across the city’s underground venues. Vienna’s fetish scene is known for being welcoming yet rigorous about gear, making it a great destination for men who want a high-quality fetish experience in a city known for its historic grandeur. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DKVlJGmIQB_/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by LMC Vienna – HARD ON (@lmcvienna.hardon) Amsterdam Bear Pride Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 11 to 14, 2026 Taking place in the heart of one of Europe’s most liberal cities, Amsterdam Bear Pride is a celebratory weekend featuring cruises, pub crawls and the Mr. Bear Netherlands contest. The nights are headlined by legendary parties like “Bear Necessity,” which is famous for its friendly atmosphere and high-energy music. For those looking for the wilder side, Amsterdam’s leather bars and cruise clubs offer dedicated play areas throughout the weekend. It is a high-energy event that perfectly balances Dutch tolerance with a raw, masculine edge. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLx1tT-gVyX/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amsterdam Bear Pride (@amsterdambearpride) Fetish Week London London, United Kingdom, July 5 to 12, 2026 The U.K.’s most significant fetish gathering, transforming the capital into a week-long playground of specialized club nights, socials and gear markets. It is worth attending for its incredible diversity; whether you are into traditional leatherman culture, sports gear or skin, the week offers a curated “fetish trail” through London’s legendary Vauxhall and East London nightlife scenes. Like many of these fet fests, the dress code can vary from event to event (“Just commit to your outfit”). Here, nudity is not considered fetish, and like at most of these gatherings, no Nazi and far-right symbols are permitted. Up Your Alley (Dore Alley) San Francisco, California, July 26, 2026 Often considered the “dirtier” little brother of the Folsom Street Fair (which is saying something), Up Your Alley is smaller—around 15,000 attendees—and gayer. It’s for real players into leather, rubber and gear, particularly those who don’t think twice about showing off their interests in the street. The fair itself is a sea of leather, but the real action happens at surrounding after-parties that run through Monday morning. San Francisco’s Folsom district remains the spiritual home of the leather scene, and Dore Alley is the weekend when the community truly pushes the boundaries of public and private sexual expression. Lazy Bear Week Guerneville, California, July 27 to August 3, 2026 Nestled in the redwood forests along the Russian River, Lazy Bear Week is a massive outdoor gathering for bears, cubs and their admirers. While the daytime focus is on pool parties and river lounging, the nights turn wild with woodland parties and massive dance events that take over the town. The event, which dates back to 1995, is a major fundraiser for local charities, adding a layer of community brotherhood to the revelry. It is a bucket-list event for bears who prefer a scenic, nature-infused setting for their summer adventures. <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJKT_bINzk2/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"> <g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g> View this post on Instagram A post shared by LazyBear (@lazybear_official) Sitges Bear Week Sitges, Spain, September 4 to 13, 2026 Sitges Bear Week is arguably the largest and most legendary bear event in the world, the European rival to California’s Lazy Bear Week. For 10 days, this seaside town becomes a bear colony, with wide-ranging cultural and leisure activities—and lots of opportunities to make new friends and do some cruising. Though there is a schedule of events, most attendees pick and choose what they’ll do, and proceed at their own pace. The nights are filled with massive parties and late-night cruising in the gay bars. It is a marathon of social and sexual energy, where the sheer number of bears creates a unique, powerful atmosphere that must be experienced to be believed. Of course, it’s a short train ride from Barcelona, so it pairs well with a holiday in that sexy city. Folsom Europe Berlin, Germany, September 10 to 13, 2026 Berlin’s version of the Folsom Street Fair is the largest leather and fetish event in Europe. The street fair in Schöneberg is a massive gathering of every subculture imaginable—leather, rubber, sports gear and more. However, the weekend is also famous for its dark side, with legendary parties, official and unofficial, offering some of the most intense fetish environments on the planet. With four days of events, it’s four times longer than its San Francisco counterpart, gayer and has more of a community vibe. Folsom Street Fair San Francisco, California, September 25 to 27, 2026 With a history going back to 1984, the Folsom Street Fair is a global phenomenon. While other large events celebrate leather, fetish and BDSM culture in more private spaces, Folsom was the first to take its celebration out onto the streets, allowing the curious and the voyeuristic access to this subculture. San Francisco’s leather history is present on every corner. There are some drawbacks to this success: the fair has gotten less gay as straights have started showing up in larger numbers. There’s also the large numbers of pure spectators who form crowds in front of the people who are actually having a good time. Still, nothing compares to it. <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="683" height="1024" src="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-683x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-9056" srcset="https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-200x300.jpg 200w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-150x225.jpg 150w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-300x450.jpg 300w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-696x1044.jpg 696w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-1068x1602.jpg 1068w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-1920x2880.jpg 1920w, https://pinktickettravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14918517343_6dae483aa4_o-scaled.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /> Porn stars are an integral part of the HustlaBall brand. Credit: HustlaBall HustlaBall Berlin Berlin, Germany, October 15 to 18, 2026 Though HustlaBall was founded in New York City in 1998, the Berlin version, along with Las Vegas, has emerged as the most reliably naughty edition of this adult entertainment–inspired party series. Rooted in a celebration of sex workers, the definition has evolved from porn star to content creation—aren’t we all whores now? The weekend features circuit parties and live sex shows where attendees can meet brand-name content creators in an environment designed to be sexually charged and wild. Berlin’s underground clubs serve as the backdrop for this hedonistic weekend, which often pushes boundaries with the Hustlaball Awards. Bearmex Fest Mexico City, Mexico, December 4 to 6, 2026 The party promoters Bearmex host bear parties, both chill and kinky, around the year and around Mexico, including regular nights at the bar Nichos (Londres 182, Juárez, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City). They do a leather party in Guadalajara, a pool party in Cuernavaca and a party weekend in Baja California. But their signature event is the three-day winter Bearmex Fest in Mexico City, where they take things up a notch or two. If you’ve never partied with Mexican bears, you don’t know all the flirting, cruising and friendliness you’re missing.