Raidd Bar

Raidd Bar is perhaps the most internationally recognisable gay bar in Paris, known primarily for its daily Shower Show: a go-go dancer performing inside a glass shower unit built into the bar, turning what would otherwise be a standard dance floor evening into something reliably theatrical. The bar sits on Rue du Temple, one block from the Rue des Archives strip, across two floors with four bar stations and a Happy Hour that runs until 10pm (half price on drinks served in a glass). The crowd skews young and international — this is where visitors arriving in Paris for the first time tend to land, and it works well for exactly that purpose. The music is loud, the lighting is theatrical, the cocktails are priced at €10-14, and on weekends the queue starts forming before midnight. For experienced Marais regulars it can feel slightly produced, but there is no denying that Raidd does what it does extremely well.