Grab a drink and live it up at the city's welcoming LGBTQ+ hangouts, bars, star-studded drag shows and more.
UPDATE spring, 2023: Montreal is one of the world’s great LGBTQ+ capitals and its queer bars and nightclubs are a pillar of local nightlife. The city is home to one of the largest Gay Villages in North America, but queer nights and establishments can also be found outside the Village—a testament to the city’s all-embracing joie-de-vivre.
In 2023, for its 17th year, the lively one-kilometre-long summertime pedestrian mall on Saint-Catherine Street in the Village stretches east from Place Émilie-Gamelin near Berri-UQAM metro station to Papineau Avenue, surrounded by some 40 outdoor terrasses. Here is the ultimate guide to LGBTQ+ and queer-friendly establishments, including rooftop bars, karaoke, drag shows and more.
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Named for beloved Montreal drag icon Mado Lamotte, Cabaret Mado has been packing them in since it opened in 2002. The club is so well-known you can spot visiting celebrities, such as Charlize Theron, Jean-Paul Gaultier and the Pet Shop Boys. Mostly local, but also some national and international drag artists headline shows and sketch comedy nightly.
One of the biggest gay clubs in Canada, Complexe Sky boasts three floors of entertainment topped by a popular summertime rooftop terrasse complete with outdoor pool and jacuzzi. Or enjoy a pitcher of ice-cold sangria on the street-level terrasse which is great for people-watching. Beginning May 11, Montreal drag legend Jimmy Moore hosts the free-admission Le Jimmy Moore Drag Show each Thursday at 10 p.m.
Bar Renard is popular with LGBTQ+ and straight young hipsters and has a wide selection of wines, microbrews and cocktails. Because of its floral décor, Renard’s unisex washroom has become an iconic selfie location.
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Queer icon Lady Gaga and her entourage partied at District Vidéo Lounge when it opened in 2017. Patrons can also select music videos on the indoor screens.
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Montréal’s Black Eagle is called Aigle Noir, an old-school neighbourhood gay bar in the heart of the Village. While it serves the leather and denim communities, it is also popular with bears and the athletic crowd, young and older alike. Cheap drinks, happy hour specials and a cruisy summertime terrasse.
Club Unity is one of the biggest nightclubs in the city, with two dance floors, a VIP lounge and legendary summertime rooftop terrasse with great views of the city.
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A Village institution since 1981, friendly sports bar Le Normandie on Atateken Street is a terrific local watering hole with cheap drinks and karaoke. Le Normandie also has two of the nicest summer terrasses in the Village.
The friendly and comfortable vibe of legendary Montreal female impersonator Michel Dorion’s Bar Le Cocktail has made the drag bar a popular Village hangout, with live shows by many of the best drag artists in the city, including Dorion.
There are karaoke bars and then there is Club Date, a classic neighbourhood bar in the Village whose regulars could give Tom Jones and Barbra Streisand a run for their money! The song list features “hundreds of thousands” of titles, including Elvis tunes, 80s ballads and Québécois classics. Patrons can also upload a high-definition MP4 digital video document of their performance.
Le Stud’s motto is, “Stud is a men’s bar, where men love men.” Open since 1995, the labyrinthine nightclub is popular with the bear and leather communities, but has a diverse clientele. Couple dancefloors, nightly DJs, pool tables, video poker, two summertime terrasses, and theme events ranging from bear nights to leather kink.
The beautifully designed Bar Minéral on Atateken Street is a wine bar by day and nightclub after dark, with an excellent light food menu.
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Montreal is famous for its gay male strip joints and none is bigger than Stock Bar in the Village. There's a Ladies Night every Wednesday, and Stock Bar is also home to Montreal’s Violet Hour queer reading series showcasing LGBTQ+ poets, writers and authors.
Popular performance and event venue for those who love Post-Punk, New Wave, Alternative, Cold Wave and Dark Wave.
The new kid on the block, opened in 2023 by the team behind Bar Renard and Bistro Tendresse, Motel Motel presents a new concept in the Village: enjoy a good meal and then party under the same roof. This kitchen offers small dishes designed to be shared, with a magnificent nightclub hidden out back.
Outside the Village, Café Cleopatre, whose building on The Main has been a showbar since the 1890s, is the last remnant of Montreal’s fabled red-light district. There is a female strip joint downstairs, while the upstairs cabaret is an historically queer-friendly space.
Rosemont neighbourhood bar NDQ is a legendary LGBTQ+ hangout outside the Village. An inclusive and safe space for all, NDQ regularly programs queer-themed events and parties, and is also home to a miniature bowling alley!
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Located just outside the Village, Taverne Marion was opened in 2022 by the team behind Taverne Midway on The Main. With its white-washed brick walls and large garage-style windows, the bright and cheery Taverne Marion has become a trendy hangout.
There are many LGBTQ+ nights hosted by queer-friendly establishments, such as the LuvHaus Soirée LGBTQ at Blockhaus Bar in east-end Hochelaga-Maisonneuve; uber-queer MPU nights (formerly called Mec Plus Ultra) and Thirst Trap nights at Le Belmont nightclub in the Plateau district; and The L Nights, Queen & Queer dance parties and Homopop events are held at various venues, including at such queer-friendly and drag-friendly spaces as Bar Le Ritz PDB and The Diving Bell Social Club.
Here are the best Montreal karaoke bars for your next singsong night out on the town, from private rooms to dive bars. We’ve minced our way around the microphone cords, paid our dues in the rotation and boiled down what’s the best in the city.
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