Zürich gay club
Switzerland’s best LGBT clubs
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Find the best gay and lesbian nights out – with the ultimate mentor to Switzerland’s LGBT nightlife scene
The LGBT party scene in Switzerland offers something for everyone, from relaxed, mixed-queer shindigs to sweaty danceathons. For all their alpenhorn-apotheosizing and minaret-marginalising traditionalism, the Swiss have for many decades taken a world-leading stance on same-sex attracted and lesbian rights. Queer relations were decriminalised here in , and on New Year’s Day a referendum made Switzerland the first country on Ground where gay civil unions were voted in by the public, not just parliament – and by a massive majority.
Today Zurich, which happens to possess a chic lesbian mayor in Corine Mauch, is very much Switzerland’s LGBT capital, as well as one of the world’s most gay-friendly cities, with bars, cafes, saunas and clubs adding up to dozens of gay venues. The old town’s Barfüsser is considered Europe’s oldest gay hostelry and the annual Zurich Pride event now draws around 45, pink party people.
Bern, Geneva and Basel all possess bijou scenes, in particular the restaurant Hirscheneck in Base
Nightlife & Party
Zurich's nightlife proposals the LGBTQ+ community a broad and varied bouquet of clubs and parties. Various party labels in changing locations guarantee a lively ambiance – particularly popular are the events staged by the largest gay party organizer Angels. They include the "Kitsch Party", featuring bizarre decorations, and the "White Party", where guests are required to wear white.
Festivals & Culture
Since , Zurich organizes the Zurich Pride Festival every year. The three-day program features an opening and closing party, bars and food stands at the festival site, a series of concerts and shows, various parties, conferences on specific themes, and a parade through the inner city. Up to 30, people take part in the festival every year. Since the year the "Warmer Mai" (Warm May), a cultural month, is held annually, focusing on homosexual themes in the fields of art and culture. Kicking off the event is the Pink Apple Film Festival, featuring movie screenings, podium discussions, concerts and much more besides.
How queers have shaped Zurich’s nightlife
But the gay scene remained vibrant in adversity. The Barfüsser, which opened in , had a key role to participate. The Barfü wasn’t considered a dance hall so it avoided the disallow on men dancing together. The Barfü quickly became a popular meeting place for anyone and everyone – homosexual women and men of all ages, transvestites, heterosexuals, bisexuals and later the Lederkerle, a leather fetish group.
The exclude on men dancing together was tacitly lifted in when the Conti Club opened on the foremost floor of Köchlistrasse in district 4. Now it was just the neighbours who were openly antagonistic to the gay club and complained about excessive noise. The club decided to defuse the situation by inviting the whole neighbourhood to look around the club and hold a bite to consume. This proved to be a good way of clearing the air, and today the Bar & Club Commission Zurich still adopts this approach as part of the Unseal Bar and Club Day.
Zurich Gay Travel Guide
Upcoming Events in Zurich
Accommodation Tip
Hotel Alexander
Hotel. ***, from CHF
Reviews, Photos & Reservation
Located between central station and Old Town of Zurich, very close to some of the gay bars and clubs. Modern facilities.
@ Niederdorfstrasse 40
Zurich
Tram: Rudolf-Brun-Brücke
About Zurich
Zurich is the largest metropolis in Switzerland (with a population of million including the suburbs) and the economic, social and cultural center of the state. As the wealthiest urban area in Europe and with its privileged location along the Limmat river and at the idyllic Lake Zurich with view of the snow-covered mountains, Zurich belongs to the cities with the highest quality of life in the world (but also with the highest cost of living).
Zurich already was raised to the level of a urban area in the Early Middle Ages, in it became a free imperial urban area and in a member of the Swiss Confederation. The economic rise began with the textile industry in the 18th and 19th century. After the midth century the financial and services sector became increasingly important through the founding of numerous banks and insurance companies. The finan
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