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THE SAC QUEENS GUIDE
Every queer bar in town, what each one is actually like, and which night to go. Written by two locals who are out most weekends. Updated September 2026.
This page covers the bars. The free Thursday email covers what is on at them this week.
Most of queer Sacramento nightlife sits on one corner. Lavender Heights is the stretch of Midtown around 20th and K, where four bars share a block and you can change your whole night by crossing the street. Start here, then branch out.
2000 K St. The big one.
Three dance rooms, 15 bars, a go-go squad and an actual swimming pool. Faces is where the night ends up whether or not you planned it. Saturdays are the main event and the cover is usually waived if you arrive before 10.
Best night: Saturday. Karaoke on Tuesdays if you would rather sing than dance.
2003 K St. Drag almost every night.
Directly across from Faces, with wall-to-wall video screens and a stage that rarely gets a night off. Monday is the showcase for new performers, Thursday has late shows, and Fridays Are a Drag is free at 8 PM.
Best night: Friday for the drag show, Wednesday for Besos, the Latin night.
2001 K St. The neighborhood video bar.
The easiest first stop on the block. A big patio, music videos, and a crowd that came to talk. Show Tune Request Night takes over Tuesdays and The Trivia Show runs Wednesdays at 8.
Best night: Wednesday trivia, or any warm evening on the patio.
2007 K St. Queer-owned, and it serves dinner.
Burgers and cocktails downstairs, a show room upstairs. The Sunday drag brunch has two seatings and sells out, and Wednesday starts as a piano bar and ends as karaoke.
Best night: Sunday drag brunch. Book ahead.
1928 L St. The dive.
The Merc is a block off K Street and decades older than most of its customers. Strong pours, a patio, no production. Bring cash.
Best night: Sunday afternoon on the patio.
2560 Boxwood St. Leather, bears and cowboys.
The one bar on this list that is not in Midtown, and worth the ride. No cover, a back patio, and a calendar of pup socials, bootblack nights and fundraisers. Friendlier than the dress code suggests.
Best night: Saturday. Check the calendar for themed nights.
1330 H St. Cocktails and a kitchen.
The newest addition, open since early 2025. A queer cocktail bar and restaurant downtown with a proper menu and a rotating lineup of dance parties and community nights.
Best night: a date night, or whichever monthly party is on.
Most bars are 21 and over. Bring ID.
Faces, Badlands, The Depot and Roscoe's are within a one-minute walk of each other. Park once.
Covers change with the event. Thursday through Saturday, arriving before 10 usually saves you money.
Bars do not change much. What is happening inside them changes every week. We track every drag show, dance night and karaoke session in queer Sacramento and send it out on Thursday morning.
Read this week's issueLooking for drag? See our guide to drag shows in Sacramento
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