The Lipstick Lounge

About this place The Lipstick Lounge

The Lipstick Lounge on Woodland Street is one of the most important venues in Nashville's LGBTQ+ scene — not for its size or its programming scale, but for what it represents: a lesbian-owned, lesbian-focused bar in East Nashville that has been a community anchor for over two decades while the neighbourhood around it has been transformed by incoming artists, musicians, and creative professionals. East Nashville's queer community has a distinct character from the Church Street strip — more musically oriented, more arts-focused, more politically engaged in the DIY tradition of queer activism. The Lipstick Lounge is the physical expression of that community. Live music is the venue's primary programming draw — local and touring acts play here, and the quality of music reflects Nashville's deep talent pool even when you are a long way from Lower Broadway's commercial country scene. The bar itself is unpretentious and welcoming in the way that the best neighbourhood gay bars are: the staff know the regulars, the atmosphere is the opposite of sceney, and visitors who arrive alone will not feel out of place. For visitors spending more than a night or two in Nashville, the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville is the essential complement to the Church Street experience.