City guide
Minneapolis–St. Paul
Hennepin Avenue bars, Loring Park in June, and a soccer pub in St. Paul.
Gay Minneapolis runs down Hennepin Avenue, from the Gay 90's downtown past The Saloon to Loring Park, where the 19 Bar sits on the park's edge and Twin Cities Pride fills the lawn every June. Northeast has the drag theater at LUSH, and St. Paul has a queer soccer pub on University Avenue. Winters are long, so the social calendar moves indoors: trivia, bingo, climbing gyms and choir rehearsals.
Neighborhoods
Loring Park
$$–$$$The traditional gayborhood, on the downtown edge where Hennepin meets the park. Pride happens here, the 19 Bar is a block away, and the apartments are walkable to everything.
Downtown (Hennepin Ave)
$$$The Saloon, Gay 90's and the Brass Rail are on Hennepin, and Roxy's Cabaret is on Nicollet Mall. The skyways help in January.
Northeast
$$Across the river along Central Ave and East Hennepin, with LUSH and Jetset Underground.
Uptown and South Minneapolis
$$Historically home to a big LGBTQ+ population, near the lakes. Quatrefoil Library and the Aliveness Project are on Lake St and Nicollet.
St. Paul (Midway)
$–$$Quieter and cheaper, on the Green Line along University Ave. The Black Hart is about 1,000 feet from Allianz Field, where Minnesota United plays.
Rent feel is a rough guide from $ (cheaper) to $$$$ (brace yourself).
Bars & clubs
Also open: The Brass Rail Lounge (422 Hennepin Ave), Roxy's Cabaret (ticketed drag shows, 1333 Nicollet Mall), Jetset Underground (cocktail lounge and dance club, 205 E Hennepin Ave) and A Bar of Their Own (women's sports bar, 2207 E Franklin Ave).
Health & PrEP
- Red Door Clinic (Hennepin County) 525 Portland Ave S, 4th floor
STI and HIV testing, PrEP, doxy-PEP and syringe services. Walk-ins first come, first served: Mon, Tue, Wed and Fri 8–4, Thu 10–4. 612-543-5555. - Aliveness Project: Thrive clinic 3808 Nicollet Ave (lower level)
Rapid HIV tests, STI testing and treatment, and PrEP as a daily pill or a shot every two months. No one is turned away for not being able to pay. Mon–Thu 9–4, Fri 9–12:30. 612-369-7494.
New to PrEP, DoxyPEP or testing? Read Sexual health, the practical version. Looking for a regular doctor or a therapist, or sorting out what PrEP costs? See Finding a doctor who gets it.
This week in Twin Cities
Today Wed, Oct 21
- 6pm
LUSH Drag Bingo Drag
Wednesdays; doors 4pm, bingo from about 6–6:30pm · LUSH Lounge & Theater, 990 Central Ave NE (Northeast)
Tomorrow Thu, Oct 22
- 6:30pm
Minneapolis Mayhem Rugby Sports
Tuesdays 6:30–8:30pm; Thursdays 6:30–8:30pm (outdoor season Apr–Oct; fitness sessions in winter) · Lions Park, 151 Louisiana Ave N (Golden Valley)
Saturday Oct 24
- 6:30pm
Quatrefoil Game Night Game night
2nd & 4th Saturdays, 6:30–9:30pm · Quatrefoil Library, 1220 E Lake St (Longfellow)
Sunday Oct 25
- 1pm
MN Prism Club: Queer Board Gaming Game night
Sundays 1–5pm · Dreamers Vault Games, 1143 Larpenteur Ave W (Roseville)
- 6:30pm
Twin Cities Country Dancers Dance
Sundays 6:30–10pm (lessons from 6:30, two-step at 7, open dancing 7:30–10); plus a monthly Saturday Stampede · Eagles Club #34, 2507 E 25th St (Seward)
Tuesday Oct 27
- 6:30pm
Minneapolis Mayhem Rugby Sports
Tuesdays 6:30–8:30pm; Thursdays 6:30–8:30pm (outdoor season Apr–Oct; fitness sessions in winter) · Lions Park, 151 Louisiana Ave N (Golden Valley)
- 7pm
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus Chorus
Rehearsals Tuesdays 7–9:30pm; next audition Dec 8 2026 · Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Ave (Loring Park)
Not on a set date: Outdoor Queers Walking & Hiking. Its days change or the date isn't fixed, so check the listing for how to find out.
The whole week, day by day, including the quiet days.
Dates are in Minneapolis–St. Paul time. Times are as each group lists them, monthly groups show only on the day they meet, and seasonal leagues play only in season, so check the group's site before you go. Nobody pays to be listed.
Pride & big events
Twin Cities Pride is Saturday and Sunday, June 26–27, 2027, in Loring Park (Sat 10–7, Sun 10–6), with Youth Night on Friday, June 25. The parade runs Sunday 11am–2pm down Hennepin Ave from 3rd St to Spruce. Since 2025 it has gone without Target as a sponsor; small donors covered the $50,000 within a day.
First time going? Your first Pride covers going solo, what to bring, heat and crowds.
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus: Slay Bells Ring
Minneapolis, MN · Nov 22, 2026
The chorus's holiday show, twice in one day at Orchestra Hall on Nicollet Mall: 1 pm and 5 pm.
Report a change to Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus: Slay Bells Ring
Twin Cities Pride
Minneapolis, MN · Jun 26–27, 2027
A two-day festival in Loring Park (Youth Night Friday), and the parade down Hennepin Ave on Sunday at 11am.
Moving tips
- From the airport, the METRO Blue Line runs every 15 minutes and gets downtown in under 30. A ride is $2 for two and a half hours, and an all-day pass is $4.
- The Green Line runs along University Ave between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, so the Black Hart is an easy train ride from downtown.
- The downtown skyways cover about 80 blocks, but most are open only until 6pm on weekdays and largely closed on weekends. For a winter Saturday night, plan on a coat and a rideshare.
- Hennepin Ave is under construction for the E Line rapid bus (no opening date yet), so expect detours.
- The Sunday Pride parade closes Hennepin, so take the light rail or walk to Loring Park.
Recently closed
Older guides still list these.
- Town House (St. Paul, 2018; the Black Hart opened in its space)
- Rumours & Innuendo (St. Paul, 2010)
Venues checked against 2025–26 sources in October 2026. Something changed? Post in Everywhere Else, or Report a change to the Minneapolis–St. Paul guide.
Community & leagues
Leagues & clubs
All 9 groups in Twin Cities, by interest and day of the week, with times and links.