The area has undergone some gentrification from its wilder, seedier days in the 1990s, but there is still plenty of fun to be had. Best Bars and Nightlife in WallingfordĪlong 1st and 2nd Avenues in downtown Seattle lies the extensive pocket of bars, clubs, shops, and restaurants known as Belltown. My favorite bar in Seattle, Russell’s, is just over the border in Fremont but an easy walk from all of the above places.
The Sea Monster has local bands and a dance floor. Murphy’s has live music on many nights (trivia on the other nights) and tasty pub food. For great food in a bar atmosphere then Union Saloon is a great choice. Grilled meats are the specialty but there’s also cheap Sapporo beer, fantastic happy hour small plates (until 6:30), noodles, and sushi. One of the best restaurants in Seattle is the Japanese izakaya Issian. If you’re looking for a Seattle neighborhood with great nightlife, local vibe, and almost no tourists then this is where to head. Staged towards the end of October since it began in 1996, this film festival lasts for around one week and screens many unusual movies, short films and documentaries.The best wine bar in downtown Seattle. Held each year in August, this fun LGBT party takes place on Lake Washington. Other gay and lesbian festivals and events: The Pride Parade is not to be missed and always falls on the last Sunday each June, being followed by the Pride Parade Brunch at the Palace Ballroom on 5th Avenue. Most of the festivities take place around the spreading Seattle Center, which was constructed for the World's Fair of 1962 and is dominated by the city's most iconic of landmarks, the Space Needle. This annual event has its origins in the mid-1970s and is hosted by the local Out and Proud organisation. Seattle Pride attracts over 100,000 gay and lesbian visitors each year, being staged in late June. Seattle Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Celebration
Early happy hours with cheap drinks, corndogs and American cheeseburgers reliably draw punters to the Unicorn Bar, along with its classic video games and pinball tables.Įlsewhere in Capitol Hill is the Neighbours dance club on Broadway, the R Place on East Pine Street, and the traditional-style Madison Pub on East Madison Street, where cocktails, trivia games and a good choice of beers on tap are all good reasons to hang out here, not to mention the plentiful high-definition TVs screening sport. There are also a number of gay bars to be found within downtown Seattle, along roads such as Howell Street, where Re-Bar comes with a fairly packed events calendar and regularly hosts comedy gigs, which in the past have been attended by world-famous funny man Robin Williams.įor the best choice of LGBT bars, take a stroll along East Pike Street within Capitol Hill, where you will encounter the Lobby Bar, the Seattle Eagle, the Wildrose Tavern and the Unicorn Bar. The LGBT scene here is particularly large and there are plenty of enticing nightspots, the majority of which tend to be based around the Capitol Hill neighborhood. If you are out and proud, and looking to visit a city where you can find plenty of like-minded, friendly and welcoming people, then Seattle certainly ticks all of the boxes, especially when the simply enormous Pride Festival is in town.