2 June 2023
A view of Oz in the French Quarter. | Shutterstock
A guide to New Orleans’s best gay bars, LGBTQ-friendly spaces, and Pride month celebrations
June is officially Pride month, bringing the return of worldwide LGBTQ Pride celebrations in the form of parades, festivals, and events. In New Orleans, though, the celebration is not just limited to June. Early Spring is for the Gay Easter Parade in the Quarter, Southern Decadence closes out summer, Saturdays are for pool scenes, Sundays are for drag brunch and tea dances, and late nights are for dancing away at Oz. And, while nearly any bar in New Orleans could be considered queer-friendly — the city is very welcoming, after all — the best places are worth listing to help narrow it down.
Below are a dozen of the best LGBTQ and queer-friendly bars and restaurants in New Orleans, for catching drag shows, dance parties, burlesque bingo, naked karaoke, and more in the month of June, during Southern Decadence, and all year round.