New Orleans Gay and Lesbian Scene

(New Orleans, Louisiana - LA, USA)

A lively city all through the year, famed for its Mardi Gras festivals and laid-back lifestyle, there is no denying that New Orleans is a very gay friendly and welcoming city, popular with the LGBT crowd of Louisiana. And if you are looking to socialize and party well into the early hours of the following day, then this city certainly obliges in the form of popular bars and nightclubs.

New Orleans' gay and lesbian community tends to be centered around a number of specific areas, particularly the French Quarter, along Bourbon Street.

There are also plenty of distractions to be found lining roads such as St. Ann Street and North Rampart Street, as well as within both the trendy neighborhoods of Bywater and Faubourg Marigny, the latter of which is often referred to as 'The Marigny'.

Especially notable nightspots within the French Quarter of New Orleans are generally clustered along and around Bourbon Street and nearby Burgundy Street, where highlights include the Bourbon Pub and Parade (open 24-7), Napoleon's Itch, Oz and RawHide 2010.

Also standing on Bourbon Street is the Cafe Lafitte in Exile, which is actually the most historic continuously operating gay bar to be found in the whole of the United States, opening as long ago as 1953.

Further bars and clubs in New Orleans can be found standing on roads such as Dauphine Street, Decatur Street, Elysian Fields Avenue, Franklin Avenue, Louisa Street, North Rampart Street, Royal Street, St. Claude Avenue and St. Louis Street.

New Orleans Gay Festivals and Events

The LGBT-themed festivals calendar in New Orleans is certainly well-stocked with enormous events. The biggest of these include:

• New Orleans Gay Mardi Gras - annual five-day extravaganza held in February
• Gay Easter Parade - yearly LGBT parade held in April
• Southern Decadence - world-famous annual celebration held in August / September
• PrideFest - weekend gay and lesbian celebration in October

Useful contacts:

Ambush Magazine
Address: 828-A Bourbon Street, New Orleans, Louisiana (LA), 70116, USA
Tel: +1 504 522 8049

Forum For Equality Louisiana
Address: 336 Lafayette Street, New Orleans, Louisiana (LA), 70130, USA
Tel: +1 504 569 9156
Website: http://forumforequality.org/

Lesbian and Gay Community Center of New Orleans
Address: 2114 Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana (LA), 70116, USA
Website: http://www.lgbtccneworleans.org/