At the base of the Hollywood Hills, the city of West Hollywood is the center of LGBTQ+ Los Angeles. In 1984, West Hollywood became the first majority-gay municipality in the country, and ever since, its rich tradition of pride and acceptance has been enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Today, LGBTQ+ residents comprise more than 40 percent of the 1.9-square-mile community, and the crosswalks are painted as welcoming rainbows.
It goes without saying that the entire area is LGBTQ+-friendly, with excellent restaurants, hotels, and shopping on every corner. As for nightlife, consider The Abbey as your first stop. One of the most famous gay bars and nightclubs in the world, The Abbey has go-go dancers, high-end cocktails, and surprisingly good food. Watch a game at the aptly named Hi Tops sports bar, check out Or Bar if you’re looking for a glamorous, lounge-y feel, hit the dance floor at Revolver, or swing by The Bayou for a late-night happy-hour scene. On Melrose, you can party like a rock star at The Wild, a bar and restaurant opened in late 2023 by Adam Lambert and Roger Taylor of Queen. Round out the weekend with drag queen bingo nights held every Sunday at Hamburger Mary’s.
In late May, WeHo Pride honors LGBTQ+ visual and performing arts with free events around the city, and come June, West Hollywood becomes the home base for the L.A. Pride Festival and Parade. The monthlong celebration includes festivities around the city, many of them appropriate for kids, but the main event is the two-day festival in West Hollywood Park, which welcomes more than 400,000 people each year. Listen to A-list musicians perform on the event’s three stages and watch the elaborate floats roll by at Sunday’s parade (the festivities are family-friendly, even if they can get a little raucous). Summer brings Outfest Los Angeles, an LGBTQ+ film festival that showcases the work from LGBTQ+ filmmakers from around the world.
