In Celebration of Pride Week, Here Are Brooklyn’s 7 Best Gay Bars
Pride Week is upon us, having kicked off yesterday with the Queens Pride Parade and a raucous party at the Rock Shop in Brooklyn. This week’s Brooklyn Pride schedule is packed: Highlights include a flag-raising ceremony and reception at Borough Hall; a Pride 5K run; a Brooklyn Museum screening of Matthew Shepherd is a Friend of Mine; an indie music showcase at Friends and Lovers; and, finally, the Brooklyn Pride Parade, wrapping it all up on Saturday. After (or maybe during) which you will probably want to drink, laugh, and be gay. Here are the Brooklyn bars where revelers will be at their rainbow flag-waving proudest.
Metropolitan: Opened in Williamsburg in 2002, Metropolitan calls itself “one of Brooklyn’s original gay bars,” having hosted the borough’s longest running gay party, GAG, every other Saturday for 10+ years. Every summer Sunday, they host barbecues in their backyard, which is bigger and brighter than most in Brooklyn.
559 Lorimer Street, Williamsburg
HappyFun Hideaway: Brought to you by the whimsical minds behind DIY art space SecretProjectRobot, Bushwick’s HappyFun Hideaway lives up to its name with beachy decor, vintage arcade games, and rotating exhibits by local artists.
1211 Myrtle Avenue, Bushwick
This n That: Run by the same folks as Metropolitan and Sugarland, Williamsburg’s other two best-known gay nightlife spots, This n That is a tunnel-shaped dive bar dressed up with a disco ball, a unicorn window display, rainbow-colored lights, and Kylie on heavy rotation.
108 North 6th Street, Williamsburg
Ginger’s: Nicknamed “the G-spot,” Park Slope’s Ginger’s is a cozy Sapphic-leaning pub (an Irish flag and a pride flag hang side by side on the wall). There’s a pool table for nights when they’re not hosting BINGO with Luscious Lola (Sundays), Bklyn Idol Karaoke (alternating Thursdays) or Singles Nite DJ Partay (Fridays).
363 5th Avenue, Park Slope
LoveGun: Run by Benjamin Maissani, owner of many of Manhattan’s favorite gay bars (Eastern Bloc, Bedlam) and Anderson Cooper’s partner, this narrow two-level Williamsburg spot has bare-bones decor save for neon signs spelling out “MORE MORE MORE” and “LOVEGUN.” It’s a rowdier alternative to its laid-back neighbor, Metropolitan.
617 Grand Street, Williamsburg
One Last Shag: Beaded curtains and painted palm trees decorate this tiki-ish bar in Bed-Stuy. Booths in little nooks and a backyard strung with rainbow Christmas lights offer respites from its regular sweaty dance parties.
348 Franklin Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Spectrum: East Williamsburg’s Spectrum isn’t a bar per se; it’s more of a queer community and arts space that hosts everything from wrestling workshops to All Identities yoga classes to glitter-drenched, drag-heavy ragers. This Thursday, June 11th, they’re putting on a showcase with Northside Festival at Palisades.
59 Montrose Avenue, East Williamsburg