For years, gay bars have been places where the LGBT community could come together and openly socialize. Today, gay bars attract people from all different walks of life for various reasons, including loud and upbeat music, entertaining drag queens and the freedom to express oneself without judgment. Here are three of Austin’s most popular gay bars. 

Oilcan Harry’s211 West 4th St.18+Oilcan Harry’s prides itself on being one of Austin’s longest running gay bars. Opened in 1990, the bar was rated one of the top 50 clubs in the world in 2007 and 2009. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest nights for the bar. Sunday and Monday are karaoke nights, Tuesday is Ladies Night, Wednesday is the Mascara Show (better known as a drag queen show) and Thursday is College Night with great drink specials all night. Oilcan Harry’s recently added a sports bar called Score. As Austin’s only gay sports bar, Score is open seven days a week and offers sports fans great specials for every major sporting event. The bar also owns Austin’s biggest gay festival, Splash, and plays an active role in the community by holding several toy drives throughout the year and sponsoring local softball teams.

Rain217 West 4th St.18+ Wednesday – Friday; 21+ Saturday – TuesdayLocated on West 4th Street near Oilcan Harry’s, Rain was voted Austin’s best gay bar for the past three consecutive years by the Austin Chronicle. Thursday nights at Rain are the most popular for St. Edward’s students as the club’s College Night draws in hundreds of college students. The event includes an all-male amateur strip contest with host Bobby Cook. Those under 21 get in free on College Night until midnight. Plenty of drink specials are offered throughout the night. Monday is free billiards night, Wednesday is karaoke night and Friday and Saturday are hip-hop, house and electro night with DJ Dallas. On Sunday evenings the staff at Rain shows appreciation to customers by offering barbeque and various special events.

Kiss and Fly404 Colorado St.18+As the largest gay bar in Austin, Kiss and Fly has a 1,000-person capacity, three levels, 16 bartenders, six bars, a full-service smoking patio and several cage dancers. Kiss and Fly is Austin’s newest gay club, having celebrated its one-year opening on March 20. Friday is Kiss and Fly’s busiest night because the club offers Reverse Happy Hour from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. with no cover until 1 a.m.  The club also offers Latino Night on Wednesday, Co-Ed Hip Hop Strip Off on Thursday and French Kiss Sunday, when female impersonators from all over Texas perform. Kiss and Fly is the only gay club that stays open till 3:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.