Woody's

Über diesen Ort Woody's

Woody's opened in 1982 and has been the undisputed institution of Philadelphia's gay scene for over four decades. The bar occupies multiple levels on South 13th Street, with each floor serving a distinct function and atmosphere: a street-level bar for conversation and casual drinking, a dance floor that runs pop and dance music into the early hours, and upper-level spaces that have hosted everything from drag shows to community fundraisers in their long history. The longevity of Woody's is inseparable from its role as a community institution: this is the bar that was here when the Gayborhood was being established, that weathered the AIDS crisis, that hosted the celebrations when marriage equality passed, and that has been the consistent physical anchor of 13th Street through the full arc of recent American LGBTQ+ history. The crowd at Woody's is mixed across ages and types in a way that reflects its status as the neighbourhood's default gathering point — young people experiencing the Gayborhood for the first time alongside regulars who have been coming since the 1990s. The Thursday nights are among the most popular in the Gayborhood. For visitors to Philadelphia who want a single bar that captures the full sweep of the city's gay scene, Woody's is the non-negotiable starting point.