Scandals Nightclub

Scandals Nightclub on Grove Street is the primary gay dance venue in Asheville and the focal point of the city's LGBTQ+ nightlife on weekend evenings. The club occupies a compact downtown space that draws a mixed gay and lesbian crowd for a programme of DJ nights, drag performances, themed parties, and special events that intensifies significantly during June's Pride season. The downtown location — a short walk from Lexington Avenue and the city's main restaurant and bar strips — makes Scandals an easy anchor for an evening that might begin at one of Asheville's many craft beer taprooms and end here on the dance floor. The venue's character is welcoming and unpretentious in the Asheville tradition: the crowd is friendly, the drinks are affordable by the standards of a tourist town, and the drag performances showcase local talent that is embedded in the community rather than imported for the occasion. For visitors to Asheville whose primary interest is the gay nightlife scene, Scandals is the non-negotiable first stop. During Asheville Pride in June, the venue runs an extended programme of events and becomes the epicentre of the week's celebration.