Toronto's gay bar scene is concentrated in the Church-Wellesley Village, where Church Street between Bloor and Dundas has bars, restaurants, and gay-oriented businesses within easy walking distance of each other. The TTC subway Wellesley station puts you at the centre of it.


The Village has seen changes. Several bars that were part of the scene for many years have closed or shifted their focus. Crews and Tangos, which ran as a multi-bar entertainment complex for decades, changed format. Other well-known venues have come and gone. What remains is a smaller but functional bar scene with a genuinely gay character.

What's there now

The bars operating in the Village today cover a range of formats. There are neighbourhood pubs, dance bars, leather-oriented venues, and places that double as performance or karaoke spaces. The Village is not the sprawling multi-block scene it once was, but you can have a full evening without leaving the neighbourhood.

Weekend nights are the busiest. Church Street on a Friday or Saturday night has a different energy from a weekday. Some venues have cover charges on weekend nights for live DJs or performances. Many bars are open until 2am, the Ontario standard closing time.

The scene beyond the Village

Toronto is large and has gay-friendly venues and queer events scattered across other neighbourhoods. Kensington Market, the east end around Leslieville, and parts of downtown all have bars or nights that draw LGBTQ+ crowds. The Village is the most concentrated and easiest to navigate for a visitor, but Toronto's queer social life is not exclusively contained in it.

Drag nights, themed parties, and community events happen at venues across the city, sometimes in spaces that are not gay bars day-to-day. Following local LGBTQ+ media or community social accounts is the most reliable way to know what is happening on any given weekend.

The bars

    • 120 Diner — Book your special Birthday or Holiday parties at the 120 Diner. Message us on this page to make free reservations in advance. Book dinner followed by a comedy and/or karaoke/live music show. No rental fee (unless you need to book the whole diner, and have it closed off to the public). Please check out website in advance to make sure the weekly show running is of interest to you and your guests.
    • Black Eagle — Toronto's Original Leather Denim Cruising Bar. Walk-Ins Welcome, Good For Groups and Outdoor Seating
    • Buddies in Bad Times — Established in 1979, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a professional Canadian theatre company dedicated to the development and presentation of queer theatre. Over the course of its history, it has evolved into the largest facility-based queer theatre company in the world and has made an unparalleled contribution to the recognition and acceptance of queer lives in Canada.
    • Burlesque Festival — The Toronto Burlesque Festival is an exciting whirlwind of bump ‘n grind, cabaret and variety arts! Now going into our ninth year, the festival offers a unique opportunity to experience the best of burlesque and variety entertainment from Toronto, across Canada, and around the world.
    • Cabana Pool Bar — Cabana Pool Bar at Polson Pier transforms Toronto’s waterfront into a “Day-to-Night” party spot with private cabanas, daybeds & room for 2500 people.
    • Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives — The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives is a non-profit organization in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which collects material relating to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Canada.
    • Carlton Cinema — Imagine Cinemas is a small, independently owned and operated movie exhibitor that first opened in Tecumseh, Ontario in May, 2005 with the building of it’s flagship movie theatre “Lakeshore Cinemas”. Local entrepreneurs recognized the need for a local cinema in the east end of the Windsor/Tecumseh area as the population in Tecumseh and Lakeshore started to expand with many new neighborhoods, commercial properties and restaurant and retail developments.
    • Cherry Cola's — Cherry Cola's Rock 'n' Rolla Cabaret & Lounge
    • Church on Church — Open Wednesday to Saturday offering main stage female impersonator shows nightly with dancing mixed in each night.
    • Club 120 — WE ARE NOW A TWO VENUE COMPLEX FOR DANCES, FUNDRAISERS, PARTIES AND ALL KINDS OF EVENTS UPSTAIRS AT CLUB120. WE ARE AVAILABLE MOST EVENINGS FOR PROMOTERS, PARTY PLANNERS, FUNDRAISERS & CHARITY EVENTS WISHING TO USE/BOOK/RENT OUR SPACE. DAY TIME OR NIGHT TIME. SINCE OUR COMPLEX NOW INCLUDES A RESTAURANT, 120 DINER ON THE GROUND FLOOR, WE ALSO BOOK SMALL CABARET STYLE SHOWS IN THE EVENINGS AND ARE AVAILABLE FOR DINNER PARTIES, RECEPTIONS, HOLIDAY GATHERINGS OF ALL KINDS CONTACT FOR ALL INF
    • Crews and Tangos — Crews & Tangos, Toronto’s #1 Drag Bar, is located in the heart of the Church-Wellesley Gay Village. We have become a community staple and top party destination, encouraging a safe and welcoming environment where patrons can be themselves!
    • Fly 2.0 — Fly 2.0 is a large venue with a capacity of up to approximately 800 people over 4 rooms on 3 floors. Easy access- Located downtown 2 blocks from the Wellesley subway station with street parking and City of Toronto parking lots
    • Fort York Garrison Common — The Fort York Garrison Common is part of the National Historic Site owned and operated by Fort York and the City of Toronto. This multipurpose space is used for a variety of social, community, arts and entertainment events. We have hosted everything from marathons to dog walker meet-ups, soccer games and concerts.
    • Green Space Festival — Green Space Festival offers high caliber productions that feature national and international artists, providing amazing outdoor shows free of charge, in gorgeous tree-lined venues packed with over 50 000 revelers throughout the 4-day festival.
    • LGBT Dance — LGBT Dance is Toronto’s nonprofit queer Salsa and Hip Hop dance club. Since 2002, we have been providing a welcoming, queer, gender neutral environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer people & queer-friendly straight people to learn how to dance. Other fun classes like Bachata and Cha Cha will be added from time to time. We offer discounted prices for students and folks who are students, unemployed, or under-employed. Email us for more info about our discounted rates!
    • Maison Mercer — Maison Mercer is a 12,000 square foot concert venue located in the center of Toronto's Entertainment District & offers unique social experiences through a variety of specially programmed events & functions. Versatile and flexible, Maison Mercer is capable of hosting intimate groups of 250 up to 1300 guests at full capacity. The venue is equipped with state of the art audio & lighting, including a FUNKTION ONE sound system, high quality LED screens and a stunning Rooftop Terrace. Maison
    • Nest — A new symbol of excellence in Toronto nightlife and Sound experience.
    • Pegasus — Pegasus is a fully licenced bar and lounge located at 489B Church St. south of Wellesley in the heart of the Church Street Village. We are equipped with four professional pool tables, pinball machines, electronic dart boards, Buzztime trivia, Megatouch games and HD-TV. We are proud to boast a great atmosphere, an energetic and courteous staff that have ensured our success over the past twenty-one years. Come and see why Pegasus is the friendliest bar on Church Street and why the staff knows eve
    • Phoenix Concert Theatre — Over the past 25 years the Phoenix Concert Theatre has played host to thousands of live performances and a roster of legendary artists.
    • Remingtons Men of Steel — The year is 1993, and a new revolutionary one-of-a-kind establishment opens its doors to booming business “Remington’s Men of Steel” is born. Fully nude men will strut their stuff for many thousands of loyal patrons for several years before the novelty wears thin and despite various management changes the once thriving men’s strip club is not able to be resurrected to its former glory. Fast forward to 2007, a new owner with a vision. Today Remington’s welcomes women in every day of the week w

Practical notes

Ontario bars close at 2am. Drinks prices are high by Canadian standards and have risen in recent years. Expect to pay $10-16 for a drink in the Village. Most bars take cards. Some older venues and smaller spots prefer cash or have card processing fees. ID is checked rigorously in Toronto bars.

For the broader Toronto picture, see the Gay Toronto Guide.