Club SAW

Über diesen Ort Club SAW

Club SAW operates as the nightlife and performance extension of Gallery SAW, one of Ottawa's most established artist-run centres, located in the Nicholas Street area of the downtown core. The relationship between the gallery and the club reflects a particular tradition in Canadian LGBTQ+ culture: the arts-community overlap with the queer community, where the most interesting social spaces are also the most creatively engaged. Club SAW programmes queer DJ nights, performance events, drag shows, and cultural events that draw from the city's visual art, music, and theatre communities as well as the LGBTQ+ social scene. The physical space — a former arts centre with good sound and atmospheric lighting — is versatile enough to host everything from intimate acoustic performances to full dance nights. The Nicholas Street location puts it slightly outside the Bank Street village strip, which mirrors Club SAW's identity: connected to the LGBTQ+ community but not confined by its geography. For visitors to Ottawa who find the mainstream gay bar circuit less interesting than its arts-inflected alternative, Club SAW is the essential address — and for those with gallery-visiting ambitions, the daytime Gallery SAW programming offers a reason to visit even before the night begins.