In partnership with
The Open
Sac Queens—
Still packing for our Fourth of July camping trip, and as you can see, Kobe is supervising. So we’re keeping this week’s open short and sweet.
What's your Fourth of July 🇺🇸 vibe this year?
-Tom & Thomas
This Week in Sac Queens
July 2–July 8.
OutLoud Sports Summer League: Last Call to Register
Registration closes this week, Sacramento
OutLoud Sports' LGBTQ rec leagues want beginners for two summer sports: Monday volleyball (6:30–8:30 PM, Mather Sports Gym) and Tuesday dodgeball (6–8 PM, the downtown YMCA on 8th Street), both at a relaxed, no-experience-needed level. Sign-ups close this week, so grab a spot or reach out to Dan Dutra with questions. Read more
Faces Thursday: Dance Party & Karaoke
Thu, July 2, 9 PM, Faces Nightclub (2000 K St)
The biggest dance floor in Lavender Heights opens the week with a dance party and karaoke, so warm up the vocal cords or just the cocktail order. No cover. Read more
Drag Queen Bingo at Mango's
Thu, July 2, 7–9 PM, Mango's (1930 K St)
A night of drag and eight games of bingo hosted by DoMe Moore, presented by the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber. Doors at 6, only $20 cash to play. Read more
Spark Sessions: Sapphic Speed Dating
Thu, July 2, 7–9 PM, Radclyffe's (1330 H St)
Le Love Club runs a sapphic speed dating night at Sac's lesbian bar, pairing you with seven to ten matches by personality and preference, then emailing your mutuals after. Swiping, but make it eye contact. Read more
Red Velvet Burlesque Show
Thu, July 2, 6 PM, Red Velvet Burlesque (910 2nd St)
Old Sacramento's weekly variety and cabaret show, classic burlesque choreography with a lineup that changes week to week. Read more
Sac Gay Men's Pickleball
Fri, July 3 & Sun, July 5, 9–10:30 AM, Jonas Larkspur Park (1063 Jonas Ave)
The Sacramento Gay Men's Events crew runs casual morning pickleball twice this week, beginners welcome with spare paddles and balls to share, and a bite to eat after. RSVP for Friday or Sunday.
Fridays Are a Drag
Fri, July 3, 8 PM, Badlands
Suzette Veneti and Liz host a Friday night drag showcase at 2003 K Street, showtime at 8. The reliable warm-up before the dance floor fills in. Read more
Say YAS! A Drag Discussion Salon & Kiki
Fri, July 3, 10 PM, STAB! Comedy Theater (1710 Broadway)
lolgbt+ puts Suzette Veneti, Katana Rei, and Manni Peddi on a panel to settle the burning questions of Sac drag, from the real community debates down to the pettiest quibbles. Part salon, part kiki, all opinions. Read more
Unwind Happy Hour
Fri, July 3, 5 PM - 8 PM, Badlands
Badlands eases into the weekend with a Friday happy hour at 2003 K Street, the warm-up before the floor fills in. Read more
Roscoe's Drag Brunch
Sun, July 5, 10:30 AM or 1:30 PM, Roscoe's (upstairs)
The weekly Sunday drag brunch upstairs at 2007 K Street, with $18 bottomless mimosas and two seatings that close an hour before showtime. Bottomless is a promise, not a dare, so pace yourself accordingly. Read more
RuPaul's Drag Race: Joey Jay
Sun, July 5, meet & greet 8 PM, show 9 PM, Faces Nightclub (2000 K St)
Drag Race favorite Joey Jay headlines the biggest stage in Lavender Heights, with a meet and greet at 8 before the 9 o'clock show. Read more
Trivia Mondays
Mon, July 6, 6:30–8:30 PM, Teneral Cellars
Free weekly trivia at Sac's queer-owned wine lounge at 1050 20th Street. The civilized way to start a week. Read more
Monday Showcase
Mon, July 6, 9 PM, Badlands
The weekly drag showcase with a stage full of fresh talent at 2003 K Street. Free entry and 30% off all cocktails all night, the cheapest good decision on a Monday. Read more
Pickled Pink Pickleball
Tue, July 7, 5 PM (4 PM for early birds), Southside Park courts
The queer pickleball crew plays every Tuesday at Southside Park, register through the PlayTime Scheduler app to grab a court. Bring water and a little trash talk. Read more
The Trivia Show
Wed, July 8, 8 PM, The Depot
Free weekly trivia at 2001 K Street, teams up to six, with prizes for the top finishers and rotating drink specials. Round up six friends and the one who insists they know everything. Read more
Trade What BTC Does Next — Not Just Whether You Own It
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Trade $10, get $10 free to start.
Trade responsibly.
Looking Ahead
After this week.
Liquid Therapy
Fri, July 10, 5:30–7 PM, Badlands
Outword Magazine's monthly happy hour returns to melt you into summer, hosted by Fred Palmer. Read more
Man Candy
Sat, July 11, 9 PM-2AM, Badlands
Badlands brings back Man Candy at 2003 K Street, a night that delivers exactly what the name advertises. Read more
Sac Gay Men's Picnic at McKinley Park
Sat, July 18, 12–4 PM, McKinley Park (601 Alhambra Blvd)
The Sacramento Gay Men's Events group throws a permitted potluck BBQ in space GA2, two big grills and shaded tables, so bring a dish and claim it on PerfectPotluck (coordinator Bennett). Members are gay and bi men, but the guest list is whoever you bring. Read more
Rainbow Chamber Lunch & Networking
Tue, July 21, 11:30 AM–1 PM, 6301 S Street
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber's monthly lunch, an afternoon of good food, real connections, and new business. Tickets $25, register through the Chamber. Read more
Movie Night at The Bolt
Thu, July 23, 9 PM, The Bolt
A low-key movie night at The Bolt. Read more
California State Fair Pride Day
Sat, July 25, 12 PM - 6 PM, Cal Expo
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber takes over the fair for a full day of queer programming, with a Sacramento Sirens cheer performance, the Gay Men's Chorus, a wine garden meet-up, Drag Queen Bingo, and a disco dance party. Details and tickets through the State Fair. Read more
Dugout Divas: Uncorked, Lakeside Edition
Sat, Aug 8, 5:30–9 PM, private lakeside residence (Sacramento)
Wine, sunset, great food, and a great cause: the Dugout Divas throw a private lakeside fundraiser with a blind wine tasting, a tri-tip and baked chicken dinner, and a silent auction. Proceeds send local LGBTQ athletes to compete through the team's scholarship and tournament fund. Tickets from $75 early bird, advance purchase required. Read more
NorCal AIDS Cycle Beneficiary Celebration
Sat, Aug 15, 6 PM, Bear & Crown (Old Sacramento)
NorCal AIDS Cycle hands out the proceeds from its 2026 ride to local beneficiaries on the back patio of the Bear & Crown. Food and drinks available for purchase, RSVPs appreciated, with a short easy ride earlier in the day. Read more
Dashin' Down the Delta
Sun, Aug 16, 8 AM, Scott’s Seafood on the River, (Sacramento)
Sacramento's newest summer tradition, a costumes-first run-walk where the wig matters more than the clock. Build a themed group, match the shirts, and register now. Read more
Out on the Mountain
Fri, Aug 21, 6 PM–12 AM, Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia)
Not Sacramento, but worth the road trip: a private LGBTQ takeover of Six Flags Magic Mountain in SoCal, with coasters after dark, drag from April Carrión and Jessica Wild, and dance parties to midnight. Tickets from $74, online only and none at the gate. Read more
Boas & Bow Ties Gala (save the date)
Thu, Oct 22, 6 PM-9 PM, Sacramento
The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber's annual queer gala, where bow ties go on and boas come out. Far out, but worth a calendar hold. Read more
Person of the Week
Joe Wilson and Jesse Ledin
One of our own just landed in the Sacramento Business Journal, and yeah, that is so freakin' cool. Joe Wilson and Jesse Ledin, the married couple behind Old Sacramento's Bear & Crown, got a full feature in the region's business paper of record. We’re old school print subscribers so you can see the two page spread below.
The two met the old-fashioned way, in person, at The Depot, and opened Bear & Crown on Second Street in 2023. Every year since, they have built queer community well beyond the gay-bar blocks. They partner with the Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus and Sunburst Clinic. They host gay cornhole and Drag Queen Karaoke. They fly the flag with zero apology. As Wilson told the Sacramento Business Journal, "there are very few queer spaces outside of the gay bars for us to socialize and build a community, and we've been able to create this." Seeing one of ours recognized like this is the entire point.
Congratulations, gentlemen. Keep pouring, keep building, and keep showing the rest of the city how it is done.
Queer-Owned This Week
Radclyffe’s
Radclyffe's is queer history you can order a cocktail in. Owner Caroline Sailor reimagined the old Bear Dive into a restaurant and cocktail bar for the whole queer community, not just one corner of it, and named it after Radclyffe Hall, the gender-nonconforming author of the 1928 lesbian classic The Well of Loneliness. Even the green carnation on the logo is a nod to queer history, borrowed from Oscar Wilde. The result, at 1330 H Street in Mansion Flats, is craft cocktails, comfort food, and a pool table, with the dive-bar grit traded for something a little more grown-up. Come for the history, stay for the weekly karaoke night, the good kind where the room actually roots for you. Find them at radclyffes.com or @radclyffessac.
Community Shoutouts
From the inbox. Reader submissions, thank-yous, celebrations, or anything fun or noteworthy. Lightly edited for clarity, not for vibe. If you have a shoutout, just reply to this with your submission for next week’s newsletter!
Shoutout to Manny Kwahk, who talked one whole new Sac Queen into subscribing and understood the assignment. 👑
Shoutout to Kevin Myers, who charmed a brand-new Sac Queen into the fold and proved good taste is contagious.
Shoutout to Steven, who single-handedly drove 15 new subscribers, which is less a referral than a full recruitment drive, and we are obsessed.
Thank you Gary, Tim, Ed, Bryce & Jesus for representing Sac Queens during your wine tasting! We love that you all are my glass is half full gays.
The Close
Three things before we go:
Let us know who you are and what you want to see more of in this newsletter!
Have an event? Reply. We read every one. Person of the Week and Shoutouts both come from our inbox.
Have a great July 4th!
See you next Thursday.
— Tom & Thomas
