Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [159]
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam | Nightlife and entertainment |
Clubs
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam | Nightlife and entertainment | Clubs |
Old Centre
Cockring Warmoesstraat 96 020/623 9604, www.clubcockring.com. One of Amsterdam’s most popular – and cruisey – gay men’s clubs with a small dancefloor and bars on three levels. Expect lots of shirtless men dancing to techno. Strip shows on Thurs, Sat & Sun from 1am. Get there early at the weekend to avoid queuing. Daily 11pm–4am (Fri & Sat till 5am); entry €3.50–5.
Getto Warmoestraat 51 020/421 5151, www.getto.nl. Relaxed, local bar-club situated in the heart of the Red Light District, serving food and cocktails. Happy hour 5–7pm. Tarot readings every Sun from 8pm. Tues–Thurs 4pm–1am, Fri & Sat 4pm–2am, Sun 4pm–midnight.
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam | Nightlife and entertainment | Clubs |
Grachtengordel south
Club Church Kerkstraat 52 www.clubchurch.nl. The most recent addition to the Amsterdam cruising scene, featuring fetish and themed nights hosted by the Gala foundation. Wed & Thurs 8pm–midnight, Fri & Sat 10pm–4am, Sun 4–8pm.
Club Roque Amstel 178 www.clubroque.nl. Incredibly stylish gay-minded discotheque with dance tunes and a cocktail bar. Thursday is hosted by the Netherlands’s most famous transvestite, Nicky Nicole. Happy hour from Thurs–Sat from 9–11pm. Wed & Thurs 9pm–4am, Fri & Sat 9pm–5am, Sun 6pm–midnight.
Exit Reguliersdwarsstraat 42 020/625 8788, www.clubexit.eu. A classic gay club ideally situated for the fallout from the surrounding area’s bars and cafés, with four bars each playing different music, from R&B to house, to an upbeat, cruisey crowd. Predominantly male, though women are admitted. Fri & Sat 11pm–5am.
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam | Nightlife and entertainment | Clubs |
The Jordaan and Western docklands
De Trut Bilderdijkstraat 165. Housed in a former factory building, this popular squat venue holds a gay/lesbian-only dance party on Sunday nights, with a large dancefloor, cheap drinks and a varied mix of music. Very popular with both men and women – the doors close at midnight and if you arrive after 11pm you may not get in. Its basement location means it can get very hot. 11pm–4am; €1.50.
Gay and lesbian Amsterdam |
Events
The two leading events in Amsterdam’s gay calendar are Remembrance Day (May 4) and Liberation Day (May 5), both of which prompt ceremonies and events around the Homomonument, the symbolic focus of the city’s gay community (see "Westermarkt"). A few days before, there’s Queen’s Day (April 30), when the whole city has a big knees-up, with gay parties and drag acts hosted throughout the city, and also the Roze Wester festival, commencing the evening of April 29 with the Drag Queen Olympics at the Homomonument, and ending on Liberation Day. Other events include Leather Pride (www.leatherpride.nl), held in October and November, and the infamous organized fetish parties, Trash (www.clubtrash.com) and Wasteland (www.wasteland.nl), although the latter is not strictly aimed at the gay community. Both events are held regularly throughout the year; look out for flyers in bars and shops.
The first Amsterdam Pride (www.amsterdamgaypride.nl) took place in 1996 with street parties and performances, and is now one of the busiest annual events, with a “Canal Pride” flotilla of boats cruising down the Prinsengracht to musical accompaniment. If you’re in the city for the first weekend in August, keep an eye out for bars and clubs holding parties over the weekend.
Finally, there’s the old Amsterdam tradition of Hartjesdag (“Day of Hearts”; www.hartjesdagen.nl), which ceased to be observed just before World War II, then was rediscovered and popularized by a researcher in Gay and Lesbian Studies at the University of Amsterdam. During the third weekend in August, it was once common for Amsterdammers to dress up in the clothes of the opposite sex, and, although the majority of the population have hardly flocked to the cross-dressing banner, nightclubs