I’ve explored 57 countries and countless cities, danced in London’s sapphic underground, marched at Nepal’s Pride, and immersed myself in the queer culture of Iceland. Cities like San Francisco, Berlin, and Toronto all have thriving queer scenes, but still, nothing compares to the sheer depth and richness of NYC’s sapphic community. Every single day there is an event, meet-up, or space for queer women to connect. Let me show you why NYC is the lesbian capital city in the world.
Biggest Lesbian Nightlife in the World is in NYC
We have more dedicated lesbian spaces than any other city on the planet. First, New York City has a whopping FOUR official lesbian bars, more than any other city. And during the day, they (Cubbyhole, Henrietta Hudson, The Bush, and Ginger’s) are also community spaces that host book clubs, art workshops, speed dating events, and more.
Then there are the lesbian pop-up bars like Dave’s Lesbian Bar, which hosts massive festival-like events in Astoria, Queens, from queer bazaars (featuring ALL queer women community clubs coming together) to queer craft markets, and always with a music stage in the background for queer rock bands. And our newest sapphic pop-up bar Grotto, which hosts themed cocktail events like Lunar Year Soiree and Halloween witches’ coven in gorgeous hidden gem bars around the city.
On top of all of that, we have weekly/monthly lesbian party events. Every Wednesday, The Woods in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, becomes one big sapphic party that sprawls across a disco ball bar dance floor and a huge outdoor patio with food stands in the back and another bar. And every month, we get PAT at Union Pool with three different rooms of lesbian partying! They have a house disco room, an outdoor patio with food stands, and a spacious cafeteria-bar area, allowing party-goers to switch vibes, sit, talk, or just dance.
To give you context as to how big that is, right now, the U.S. has a well-documented crisis of disappearing lesbian bars. Since the 1980s, nearly 200 lesbian bars in the country have shut their doors. Today, only 34 remain in the USA, according to the Lesbian Bar Project.
Lesbian Spaces & Communities to Join
Every. Single. Day. There is a queer community meet-up or event in NYC. These are just a few of the many special lesbian spaces in NYC for queer women and nonbinary folks.
- Lesbian Herstory Archives (Park Slope, Brooklyn) is the biggest collection in the world of lesbian records. They work to preserve the history of sapphic life, activism, and culture through literature, photos, memorabilia, and more. They also host events, workshops, and other meet-ups.
- Audre Lorde Project fights for racial and social justice, centering the needs of LGBTQ+ people of color through organizing, education, and advocacy. Their work spans from grassroots activism to leadership development, making it a powerful hub for politically engaged queer women. They host incredible parties, workshops, and other community events.
- NYC’s top queer bookstores include the 100% exclusively queer book havens BGSQD in the West Village and The Nonbinarian in Crown Heights. Then we have queer-run bookshops that champion queer initiatives, like Bluestockings Cooperative and Hive Mind Books. These bookstores also serve as gathering spaces for readings, discussions, workshops, etc.
- Gotham FC soccer matches are basically one big lesbian sports party. Just 15 minutes from the World Trade Center via PATH, you’ll tailgating parties outside of the stadium filled with sapphics, especially the cute sporty gays and an ultra-inclusive vibe.
- We Met IRL Queer hosts safe, meaningful, and fun speed dating sessions, everything from casual meet-and-greets to themed speed-dating sessions, creating an alternative to the usual dating app routine.
- Queer Brown Babes NYC hosts monthly brunches and happy hours for queer Black and Brown folks in NYC. It’s a space to connect, build community, and enjoy good food with great company.
- Queer Pottery NYC brings together queer folks for wheel throwing, creativity, and community. No experience needed.
- Lez Night Out hosts COVID-conscious social events for lesbians in NYC to connect and build community. They organize book clubs, movie nights, figure drawing, zine making, ice skating, and craft sessions, creating a fun and welcoming space to meet new friends.
- Crux Queer Rock Climbing (Gowanus, Brooklyn) hosts Queer Femme Wednesdays, bringing together queer women and nonbinary folks to build both physical and communal strength.
- Queer Walks and Hikes hosted by two lesbians, brings queer folks (mostly women) for special hikes within the city’s natural gems and as day trips from NYC to upstate NY and other nearby outdoor spaces.
- Queer NYC Pickleball is hosted by lesbians a few times a week, with the most popular at CityPickle in Long Island City. After 2 hours of community play, we all head to the nearby LIC brewery for food, beer, and connection.
- Outbox Queer Gym is a trans-owned boxing gym built for the LGBTQ+ community. You can take classes here as well as personal coaching in an inclusive and judgment-free environment.
The City’s Most Lesbian Neighborhoods
Across the city, different NYC queer neighborhoods carve out distinct spaces for queer women, some rooted in history and others shaping the city’s evolving lesbian scene.
Bushwick is the best neighborhood right now for queer women and enbys. It’s packed with queer-owned spaces like hidden gem theatres, art workshop spaces, queer bookstores/cafes, and the best nightlife in NYC right now. The Bush, NYC’s newest lesbian bar, is also in Bushwick. House of Yes’ Dirty Circus is a must-visit for a dreamlike wonderland of immersive performances, aerial acts, and themed dance parties. For non-alcoholic space, the queer Latina-owned Misfit Kava Bar offers herbal elixirs in a cozy “third space”. For something more decadent, Company XIV delivers elegant burlesque, ballet, and opera in their all-in-one performances. Then, there’s the newest queer indie bookstore here, Hive Mind Books.
In Prospect Heights, you’ll find lesbian moms pushing strollers, queer-owned bookstores like The Nonbinarian, and community hubs like Aura Coffee, a lesbian-owned café adorned with gorgeous plants and spacious outdoor seating. On weekends, Prospect Park becomes an unofficial queer gathering spot, with queer soccer meet-ups and perfect for picnics and queer people watching on the grass.
Park Slope has Ginger’s, one of the city’s longest-standing lesbian bars. Every June Brooklyn Pride offers a more intimate, community-driven alternative to Manhattan’s corporate parade. Crux Queer Rock Climbing hosts Queer Femme Wednesdays where queer women and nonbinary folks can scale walls and connect at the same time. The Lesbian Herstory Archives, tucked into a brownstone nearby, is the biggest lesbian archive in the world and offers a deep dive into the history of sapphic activism. You can stop here for workshops and events, too.
Williamsburg, despite commercial gentrification, still throws some of the best queer parties in town. Misster Wednesdays at The Woods and Union Pool’s monthly lesbian bash are legendary. For daytime queer connection, New Women’s Space, a queer-led community hub, offers wellness events, networking sessions, and creative workshops. For Pride, they throw the biggest lesbian party: Queer Garden Pride, which includes music, performances, bars, food trucks, giant games, and a chance to run into famous celesbians and lesbian influencers.
And, of course, the West Village is the historic heart of NYC’s gay scene. Home to the city’s two oldest lesbian bars, Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson, this neighborhood has been a gathering place for generations. Cubbyhole, with its iconically decorated ceiling and eclectic decorations, feels like a cozy little sapphic hideaway. Perfect for making lesbian friends, coming alone, chatting with strangers from around the world, a date night, or meeting your next girlfriend. Ten minutes walking from Cubby is Henrietta Hudson, the go-to spot for high-energy dance nights under a disco ball. These are our two fav lesbian bars, and perfect for connecting with others. There’s also the massive LGBT Center here, which houses BGSQD (100% queer bookstore). You can even join gay walking tours here (Close Friends Collective Tours, Pride Tours NYC, and Oscar Wilde Tours)!
Queer Women’s Activism & History in NYC
New York City has always been a refuge city for immigrants and marginalized groups. This has been the home to some of modern history’s greatest revolutionary and progressive minds, so naturally, we have a deep queer history here. For over a century, LGBTQ+ individuals have flocked here, drawn by the city’s openness and its promise of reinvention. From underground speakeasies in the 1920s to modern-day activism, NYC continues to be a sanctuary and capital for queer liberation.
The first known lesbian bar in the U.S., Eve’s Hangout, was opened here by Eva Kotchever in the 1920s. This is the city where Audre Lorde redefined intersectional feminism, where Stormé DeLarverie fought back at Stonewall, and where Joan Nestle founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives to ensure our stories were never erased. Queer women in history have shaped this city, leading movements, creating community spaces, and demanding justice. Every June, Dykes on Bikes rev up First Avenue in a roar of unapologetic pride, honoring decades of LGBTQ+ resistance and visibility, carrying the legacy of those who came before us.
NYC is also where Edie Windsor took her fight for marriage equality to the Supreme Court. It is where ACT UP staged die-ins and protests that forced the government to confront the AIDS crisis and where countless grassroots organizations continue to advocate for trans and sapphic visibility today. Groups like The Audre Lorde Project, The Okra Project, and For the Gworls are still actively working for racial, economic, and trans justice.
At a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack across the country, New York remains a stronghold of queer joy and defiance!
Our Eight Pride Parades
NYC might just hold the title for the most Pride parades of any city in the world. The city throws EIGHT celebrations in June:
- Brooklyn Pride Parade: One of the biggest pride event on the planet, keeping the rebellious spirit of Stonewall alive, making sure LGBTQIA+ folks in Brooklyn don’t have to leave their borough to find community.
- Harlem Pride: A powerful celebration of Harlem’s LGBTQ and Same-Gender-Loving (SGL) communities, this event creates spaces for empowerment, joy, and cultural connection.
- Queens Pride Parade: This parade was born out of activism after a tragic hate crime and backlash against LGBTQ+ representation in schools. Today, it fills Jackson Heights with color, culture, and unapologetic queer pride.
- Bronx Pride Festival & March: Led by Destination Tomorrow, this pride event ensures Bronx LGBTQ+ residents have access to support, celebration, and safe spaces without having to leave their own neighborhood.
- NYC Dyke March: More protest than parade, this powerful grassroots march brings thousands together every year to claim space, fight injustice, and celebrate all things queer, femme, and unapologetic.
- Queer Liberation March: Organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, this march stays true to the radical roots of pride by rejecting corporate sponsorship and police presence while amplifying the voices of marginalized LGBTQIA2S+ communities.
- Staten Island Pride Parade & Festival: Staten Island may have been late to the party, but its first-ever pride festival in 2024 proves the borough is ready to celebrate with live music, artists, and a tight-knit, growing queer community.
- NYC Pride March: This massive march is NYC’s official LGBTQIA+ Pride event. It takes over Manhattan with a powerful mix of celebration and activism, bringing millions together to honor queer history, visibility, and community.
Still not convinced? Come see for yourself why NYC is the Lesbian Capital City of the World!
OTHER NYC LESBIAN GUIDES
- Regular NYC Lesbian Spaces for Meet-Ups and Community
- 5 Official Lesbian Bars in NYC and Eight More Lesbian-Leaning Spots
- Experiencing Grotto in NYC, the Ultimate Sapphic Cocktail Bar Experience
- What to Know About The Woods on Wednesday Misster Lesbian Party
- The Best NYC Queer Bookstores for Sapphic and Gay Reads
- 7 Queer Neighborhoods in NYC You Need to Visit