Gay Pubs and Bars in Singapore

Alternative Lifestyle and Gay Bars in Singapore

Oct 28, 2008

Gay venues are springing up in Singapore so much so that the city state now has a vibrant gay nightlife with some exciting and lively bars, pubs and discos.

Singapore may at first appear to be a “buttoned up” country with strict laws on homosexuality but things are slowly changing as public awareness and official acceptance becomes gradually more apparent.

Although the country may not enjoy the reputation of say cities like Bangkok, Sydney or even Hong Kong there are many venues where gay men and women can let their hair down and enjoy a drink or a late night disco or even a sauna or two. Here is a list of just a few places where PLU’s meet. Alas what may be considered to be the founding father of Singapore gay venues “Vincent’s” shut up shop a while ago, but others have moved in to fill the void.

Perhaps the best known gay pub in Singapore is the BackStage on the corner of Temple Street and Trengganu Street, just a short walk from the Chinatown MRT station.

BackStage is an upstairs bar that as the name suggests, has a theatrical theme – well more of a movie-themed décor. Lining the stairs to the bar are reminders of great movies of the past, posters for Gone With the Wind, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, The King and I, Oklahoma and the like festoon the walls.

The bar is cosy and comfortable and the staff are friendly and helpful. For smokers there is a balcony that overlooks Trengganu Street and the activity below. The pub has just opened an “event room” for private parties and functions the staff will even help you to theme the event.

Just a short walk away from BackStage its smaller sister the Tantric Bar is a converted shophouse that gets pretty crowded at weekends and holidays so be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder. The main attraction of the Tantric Bar is the open air court yard that gives some respite to the sometimes sardine-like inside bar. A great venue for the young and young at heart.

Play is the new boy on the block that attracts a younger crowd who want to play hard and dance hard to the funky sounds of local hot DJs including Andrew Tang. Play attracts a mixed crowd of gay men and lesbians and their straight friends.

Open: Wednesdays to Fridays 9pm to 3am, Saturdays 9pm to 4am. On some nights there may be a cover charge that includes one free drink.

Zouk has been converted from three warehouses built in 1919 and transformed into an ever evolving venue of gay men and women. The music is an exciting blend of modern eclecticism, from techno to progressive, garage to jungle, top-40s and retro play lists.

Zouk is a four-in-one club with Zouk main room, Velvet Underground, Wine Bar and Phuture.

Singapore is competing with other attractive and virbrant cities for the gay market Bangkok of course, Taiwan and Manila have large and exciting gay venues also. To attract more tourists and keep them in the country for a longer period Singapore is shedding its staid, funless image and adopting a bop-til-you-drop attitude.

The copyright of the article Gay Pubs and Bars in Singapore in Singapore Travel is owned by John Howe. Permission to republish Gay Pubs and Bars in Singapore in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.