Their theme nights are unique, offering options like Nametag Night and Commando Night. If you’re looking for a place to dance and cut loose, Jam is the spot. Jam was an early fixture of the Salt Lake gay club scene, and is still going strong under recently-changed management. Check out one of their colorful cocktails like the Va-jay or Purple Kool-Aid while you're at it. And if you’re merrymaking on a tight budget, Try-Angles has your back with $5 beer steins. You can expect friendly and easygoing bartenders and customers, making Try-Angles a perfect place for newcomers to the Salt Lake scene or anyone exploring the place solo. Try-Angles offers inexpensive pool, darts, and karaoke and is known by some as the “gay dive” of Salt Lake City, which only adds to its charm. Try-Angles is known for a chill vibe-except during their theme events like Underwear Night or Leather Night, when you can expect an epic all-night party. And if you’re a barbecue enthusiast, saddle right up on Sundays for some homestyle cookin’. The Sun Trapp typically offers entry with no cover charge, but expect to wait a few minutes for bar service on weekends. If you love inexpensive drinks and dancing to club remixes of Whitney Houston and Ariana Grande, you’ll probably find yourself becoming a regular. Their outdoor patio is as big as the interior, offering plenty of open-air seating, and in the winter, the patio has a heated tent with its own bar inside. Don’t be fooled by its rustic exterior-the atmosphere often draws a line of patrons that snakes around the corner on the weekends. Located on 600 West just off 100 South, the Sun Trapp greets everyone with a warm welcome and is famous for serving beer in mason jars.
(And yes, the regular rotation of drag shows keep the city sizzling all through the winter.)Ĭheck out a few of our favorite “officially” gay bars and gay-friendly bars-keeping in mind that, in this town, it needn’t be a “gay bar” for everyone to fit right in. And since everyone has a voice, it’s pretty easy for everyone of every orientation to jump in on the incredible fun that is Salt Lake on a hot city night. This means the LGBTQ community has an unprecedented voice in city government. The city’s lesbian mayor, Jackie Biskupski, leads a city council with three out of seven members who are gay. (There’s even a Utah Gay Ski Week-real thing,, see you there.)
Of course, it doesn’t have to be parade week to celebrate pride and inclusivity.
#GAY BAR WAIKIKI HI FULL#
In fact, the city’s been listed by Advocate magazine as one of the Ten Queerest Cities in America (gayer than L.A.-take that, Southern Cali!) … The city holds one of the biggest and best-attended Pride parades and festivals around, with Pride Week festivities attracting tens of thousands of participants who light up the downtown scene in full rainbow-hued regalia. In a state known for its religious zeal, Salt Lake City serves as a bastion of progressiveness, playfulness, and pride. Sure, a statue of the Mormon angel Moroni stands prominent watch over downtown Salt Lake City, but he might trade his trumpet for dancing shoes if he realized what a fantastic LGBTQ-friendly nightlife the town has today.
Drink it In: Salt Lake’s Gay Bar Scene Is Growing, Thriving, and Never Looking Back