GayBars

Current Halifax Gay Bars

• MenzBar: small-ish guy-oriented cruising bar -- currently closed during move to 2182 Gottingen Street
• BlueMoon: 2099B Gottingen St, downstairs

Events at these bars can be found on the page LocalEvents.

Current Halifax Gay Friendly Bars

• ReflectionsCabaret: huge dance bar, mostly (see DefinitionOfMost) populated with the under 30 crowd, at 5184 Sackville Street

Events at these bars can be found on the page LocalEvents.

History Of Gay Bars In Halifax

Click on the link to see some history, some stories. Don't hesitate to add your own stories and info!

• PeppermintLounge in the '60s, in the 1800 block of Barrington Street (across from where Scotia Square is now.)
• CameoLounge and CandleLightBar? were hangouts possibly starting in the late '60s
• TheHeidelberg was a hangout just off Spring Garden in the 1970s.
• TheClub operated briefly in early 1971
• Two consecutively in the GreenLantern Building on Barrington St in the 1970s:
  • TheeClub
  • CondonsBar
• The Turret on Barrington St, from 1975 to 1981. Owned by the queer community, GaeGala, moved and renamed:
• Rumours - Granville St across from the Texpark from 1981 to 1985 then the OldVogueTheatre from 1985 to January 1995.
• [[Fantasias?]] in Scotia Square, registered (owned?) by DanielJoseph from 1990-05-14. (had its own entrance off Duke St) which in 1991 was moved and renamed StudioBar
• Three bars, consecutively, at 1537 Barrington St, a half a block south of Maritime Mall:
  • The StudioBar, from 1991 to 1996. Another small bar with lots of mirrors. The Studio opened a larger space behind the main bar for a dance floor and stage after a few months. The Studio also had a rather nice restaurant.
  • The PurplePenguin, from late 1997 to 1998 with a restaurant
  • BuddiesBar. from 1998 to Summer 1999.
• History of the early (mid-90s) connections between ReflectionsCabaret and organized crime is documented in ReflectionsHellsAngels
• Four bars, consecutively, in a space upstairs at 2104 Gottingen St:
  • The RainbowRoom: Nov 1997, then changed management to become:
  • the EagleHalifax from Aug 1998 to early 2001 (it moved to Pizza Corner - see its history.) When the Eagle moved, the space was taken over by the owner of ClubNrg and became
  • ToolBoxEast with more or less the same crowd of patrons (see above). Closed early January 2005
  • MenzBar, opened early February 2005 and closed January 2008 to move to 2182 Gottingen Street
• ZzhivagosBar in the Brewery from late 1989 to spring 1990.
• MilleniumBar at OldVogueTheatre from March to June 1999.
• Halifax had its own StoneWall for a time, on Hollis near Maritime Mall. In the '70s the space was a restauraunt open very late and so was a gay (and prostitute, and cop, and street bum, etc.) hangout then.
• 1995, for a couple months, LeCruz was in the old Cabbagetown disco space on Spring Garden Road.
• ClubNrg at 2099B Gottingen St from 1999 until February 2005 when it moved to 2215 Gottingen St.
• 2215 Gottingen St (formerly the MistyMoon? in the '70s and '80s and the Derby in the '90s)
  • 2003- February 2005, Club VorTex and MobeysEatery
  • Feb 2005 - Nov 2005 ClubNrg with the front space as ShowTunes
  • October 2005 front ground floor space taken over by [[Christopher_Robinson?]] and [[John_Dickinson?]] and opened as BlueMoonBistro. The back of building became after-hours club Flux
  • November 2005 PeterMoll opened EvolutionCabaret on the second floor. Closed July 2006
  • April 2006: The back of BlueMoonBistro turns into a bar open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.
  • July 2006: BlueMoonBistro moves (and renames to BlueMoon) to 2099B Gottingen St, swapping spaces with Diamonds, still under ownership of [[John_Dickinson?]]

HistoryProjectTodoList

• LynnMurphy says: "Don't forget the Highwayman on Barrington near Scotia Square"

Lots more details can be gleaned by searching back copies of gay Halifax PrintMedia

This page is part of the HistoryProject.