BARtab :: Bars

Boy Division @ Cat Club

Boy Division @ Cat Club

  • by Steven Underhill
  • Feb 13, 2019

Boy Division, the monthly New Wave, goth, queer pop night, included groovy retro sounds, plus drag queens and puppets! The diverse crowd enjoyed a Dark Room drag show, and grooving to The Cure, Depeche Mode and other faves with DJ Xander at the Cat Club.

Nightlife Events Jan 31-Feb 7 2019

Nightlife Events Jan 31-Feb 7 2019

  • by Events Editor
  • Jan 30, 2019

What's happening in bar, clubs and cabarets? Look here for the most LGBT-inclusive listings in town.

Lenny Mollet — The Godfather of Chez Mollet and other bars

Lenny Mollet — The Godfather of Chez Mollet and other bars

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jan 24, 2019

Lenny Mollet was a Grand Duke of the Ducal Court, the president of the Tavern Guild, and one of a generation of gay men who fought for a place of their own in the city. He owned a gay bar in San Francisco a decade and a half before the Stonewall riots.

Ministers, homophiles and raging cops - How a raucous New Year's Day ball changed San Francisco

Ministers, homophiles and raging cops - How a raucous New Year's Day ball changed San Francisco

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Dec 26, 2018

History sometimes seems ruled by events with unintended consequences. That certainly is the case with the Mardi Gras Ball at California Hall, which happened on January 1, 1965. It's an event that's been called 'San Francisco's Stonewall.'

Grand Opening @ Jolene's

Grand Opening @ Jolene's

  • by Events Editor
  • Dec 19, 2018

Jolene's, the new queer bar in SoMa, opened last weekend to much local appreciation. A soft opening on Dec. 15 included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the return of Uhaul, now each Friday, marked the first week of events.

A Celebration of Streetbar - How the first gay bar in Palm Springs signaled a change

A Celebration of Streetbar - How the first gay bar in Palm Springs signaled a change

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Nov 28, 2018

Palm Springs has been associated with the gay community for a very long time. But it wasn't always friendly. Streetbar became a pioneering business by breaking new gay ground in 1991.

Election Night @ Oasis, Calle 11

Election Night @ Oasis, Calle 11

  • by Steven Underhill
  • Nov 7, 2018

Candidates in Supervisor, local and state offices celebrated their victories (including Matt Haney and Gordon Mar), the Democratic House majority flip, as well as 100s of progressive victories nationwide, at Oasis and Calle 11.

When Polk Street Exploded: Tear gas, murder and the tradition of the Halloween buses

When Polk Street Exploded: Tear gas, murder and the tradition of the Halloween buses

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Oct 24, 2018

Mention Halloween violence in the LGBT community, and most people think of events of the last decade, which ended the closing of Castro Street for the holiday. But history does repeat itself, as the '60s and'70s Halloween celebrations prove.

Nightlife Events Oct 18-25, 2018

Nightlife Events Oct 18-25, 2018

  • by Events Editor
  • Oct 17, 2018

Harvest the lovely array of nightlife opportunities, including some events that'll pounce early into Halloween themes.

Live from the Stud! - Etta James, Sylvester and more - when live music first ruled Folsom Street

Live from the Stud! - Etta James, Sylvester and more - when live music first ruled Folsom Street

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Sep 19, 2018

When we think of entertainment in our bars, the chances are that we think of drag performances or DJs more often than live music. But from the 1960s to the 1980s at the Stud (then at 1535 Folsom Street), live performances often ruled the night.

Drag & Burgers @ Hamburger Mary's

Drag & Burgers @ Hamburger Mary's

  • by Steven Underhill
  • Sep 5, 2018

Serving up burgers and drag shows, the recently opened Hamburger Mary's has become a popular Castro district restaurant for locals and tourists alike.

Beats, Bohemians and Bars: Jack Spicer, Allen Ginsberg and their circle's San Francisco haunts

Beats, Bohemians and Bars: Jack Spicer, Allen Ginsberg and their circle's San Francisco haunts

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Jul 25, 2018

A literary spark started fires on both U.S. coasts following World War II. The Beat writers in New York and the Berkeley renaissance poets in the Bay Area started out separately, but they converged in a conflagration that burns to this day.

20th Anniversary @ The Cinch

20th Anniversary @ The Cinch

  • by photos by Steven Underhill
  • Jul 18, 2018

Celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of The Cinch Bar's ownership by Bob Thornton and Robby Morgenstein, held on Saturday, July 14, included a festive array of drinks, food, and a live performance by Maria Konner.

The Monster Show @ The Edge

The Monster Show @ The Edge

  • by photos by Steven Underhill
  • Jul 11, 2018

The Monster Show, The Edge bar's weekly drag show, scintillates and scandalizes with campy big numbers on a tiny stage. Last week's 'Bruno Mars vs. Marina & the Diamonds' theme featured an 'illegal alien' number by host Intensive Claire.