Melbourne gay bars and club guide

Gay Melbourne: Bars, Clubs, Cruise Bars, Saunas & Events

Melbourne does nightlife with style and a bit of grit. Small bars hide in laneways. Bigger rooms pump house and pop. Most action clusters around Collingwood and Fitzroy, with easy hops to the CBD. You’ll find relaxed terraces, busy dancefloors, and a few darker corners for later. Weekends peak late. Arrive after 11 and stay past two. Dress is casual, but people care about the look. Tap water is free, lines move fast, and door staff are direct. Plan a loose route and follow the energy. Melbourne rewards curiosity, short walks, and one more drink before the lights go up.

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Gay Bars and Clubs

Start with a bar hop. Think laneway hideouts, terrace seats, and friendly bartenders who actually chat. Collingwood and Fitzroy lead, with the CBD for quick last rounds. Order something local, scan the room, and slip into weekend mode. Bars are your warm-up and sometimes the whole night.

POOF DOOF

A gay club open Saturday nights with a big dance floor and bar. Opens at 11 but gets really busy around 12:30am great music, great vibe, great crowd! The music is a fusion of underground house, and a few scattered camp numbers to get the crowd going. Hot bar staff, sunken dance floor and amazing laser show. The vibe is upbeat. You'll find cheeky drag queens having a boogie and eccentrically dressed patrons showing their true colours. Get in for a cheaper price at the door by saying 'Jack's List'

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386 Chapel Street, Melbourne

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Sircuit

Collingwood’s go-to for a busy night with music, shows, and flirty corners. Sircuit mixes easy bar energy with a compact dancefloor, so you can chat, cruise, then jump into the beats. Expect pop, house, and throwback crowd-pleasers. Staff keep things moving; lines move fast. Drinks are fair, service is quick. Weekends peak late, from around midnight. Weeknights bring themed parties, drag sets, and casual hangs after dinner. The crowd skews 20s to 40s, friendly, genuinely mixed in style, and up for conversation. Dress is casual-smart. Arrive early for a booth, stay for the show, and finish with one more song.

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103 Smith St, Fitzroy/Collingwood, Collingwood, Melbourne

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The 86

The 86 is a gay cabaret show bar

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185 Smith St, Fitzroy, Fitzroy, Melbourne

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The Laird

Generally a masculine crowd / leather crowd on selected Saturday nights / bear crowd. Can be very mixed including younger on Friday nights

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149 Gipps St, Abbotsford, Melbourne

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The Peel

One of Melbourne's oldest gay bars. Expect top 40 and retro hits, plenty to sing to, but not a lot of club tracks. Thursday nights sees a younger, twinky crowd, and picks up from 1am morearrow_right

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Corner Peel and Wellington Streets, Collingwood, Collingwood, Melbourne

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Gay Saunas

Saunas offer a clean reset and a social soak. Expect steam, dry rooms, cabins, and a lounge for breaks. Bring ID and flip-flops, follow the posted rules, and keep it considerate. Afternoons are relaxed; late nights get busier. Hydrate, shower, and enjoy the unhurried pace between parties.

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Subway Sauna

lunch trade is busy from office workers and students, mid afternoon is busy with tradesmen mixed clientele, lots of variety to satisfy many needs
Facilities include steam room, dry sauna, spa, lockable rooms, glory holes, dark rooms, cruising maze and video lounge.

place

Flinders Street 363-397, Melbourne

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Wet on Wellington

Wet gay Sauna. Gay men only except for swingers nights as advertised

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162 Wellington St, Collingwood, Collingwood, Melbourne

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Gay events

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Midsumma

International LGBT+ Festival in Melbourne. With leading performing arts, dance parties, stunning visual art exhibitions, engaging community events and so much more morearrow_right

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Various locations

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