Pensacola is famed for its beautiful beaches and outdoor recreation, and it also offers variety in its nightlife choices for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people. The World Guides website calls it “a favorite GLBT destination [with] a thriving gay community. … Pensacola is well-known for being open-minded and generally gay-tolerant.” In addition, the local GLBT community celebrates diversity with the "Come Out Pensacola" festival each October.
If you’re in the mood to dance the night away, this is the place. Calling itself “the Gulf Coast's premier gay/high-energy dance bar,” Emerald City offers theme nights throughout the week. As of August 2010, partiers can enjoy "Urban Hiphop" on Mondays, "Drag Bingo" on Tuesdays and Fridays, and "Drink and Drown" (free well drinks and draft beer) on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Emerald City also has live entertainment several nights a week, with drag shows on Wednesdays and Sundays. Patrons must be at least 18 years old to enter the club and 21 to drink alcohol, and the club enforces a rule against bringing in video or still photographic equipment.
Emerald City
406 E. Wright Street
Pensacola, FL 32501
850-433-9491
emeraldcitypensacola.com
Quieter and a bit more elegant, the self-styled “most progressive bar” in downtown Pensacola promotes itself as a friendly, relaxing night spot. Entertainment includes both stage acts and audience participation and features live music, karaoke, game nights and comedy.
The bar stocks 217 fine liquors, 20 different bottled beers and eight kinds of draft beer. The Cabaret also supports local artists with a monthly "Gallery Night," and permanently displays artworks in its own gallery. The décor is “simply upscale sexy,” according to the Cabaret website, referring to the club’s 30-foot antique arched-wood ceiling and urban loft-style exposed brick wall.
As of August 2010, the club has "Happy Hour" from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day and offers a special potluck supper every Sunday, starting at 6 p.m.
The Cabaret
101 S. Jefferson Street
Pensacola, FL 32502
850-607-2020
cabaretpensacola.com
Cowboys and leather are the themes at The Roundup, which is open daily into the small hours of the morning. The club hosts a "Mr. Roundup" pageant, and its website offers links to the Gulf Coast Bears and Leather Association, the Order of Zeus (a Mardi Gras organization) and The Compound, a gay camping group.
The Roundup
560 E. Heinberg Street
Pensacola, FL 32502
850-433-8482
theroundup.net
