SPAIN: The streets of Spain are all so colourful that they resemble the colours of a pride flag, and the aura is so welcoming that Spain is often overlooked as an LGBTQIA+ destination. A haven for queer people to live and visit, Barcelona’s boroughs are full of gay landmarks, cultural institutions, and spaces to unwind and be yourself.
We have made a list of places in Barcelona that are not only queer-friendly but also queer-affirmative.
Queer-friendly places in Barcelona
One of the most famous places, Eixample, has become a hub of gay folks opening up their identities unflinchingly on the streets with fancy tiaras and outfits. The place has a lot of boutique shops, exclusive queer restaurants, and bars.
Gingin is a party bar located just across the road, dedicated to mostly ginger boys and polished drag queens performing to their hearts’ content till 3 a.m. every night of the week. Blond Ambition, Madonna’s music videos, and live shows are all enjoyable to watch. Carita Bonita is a lesbian music bar and one of the city’s most talked-about bars.
Smaller barrios in El Raval, San Antoni, and Poble Sec have a more exclusive aura that is adored by the creative crowds. Besides Candy Darling is just for lesbians, non-binary, and trans people, La Reposa is a fantastic vegan tapas bar for feminists who love to read books in a café. Another queer dive bar of particular interest to the LGBTQIA+ community is “The Crab” El Cangrejo bar hosts drag shows in Spanish on Fridays and Saturdays at 12 a.m.
Queer beach Mar Bella is a fantastic place for LGBTQIA+ people, with a healthy mix of bodies on this beach enjoying their time without thinking about other people’s problematic opinions. No healthy, perfect body type is worshipped in the place, but rather a mix of fluid, non-fluid, gender-conforming, and nonconforming bodies.
Parties are the most fun occasions in Barcelona, with an amazing collection of songs to dance to. Safari Disco Club plays host to YASS! Barcelona every Saturday. Drag queen processions could be seen at Churros con Chocolate on Sunday afternoons. Joan Oh, a drag choreographer, hosted Pluma Is the most popular and hosts the best parties with wild rides of queens and kings dancing to beats at Believe Club.
The largest pride in the Mediterranean is the Barcelona Pride, which takes place the last weekend in June. A parade on Saturday followed by a fabulous outdoor party is an absolutely blissful experience.
Beaches are strewn along the town of Sitges, which is almost an hour away by train, and the place holds significance as the LGBTQIA+ community found refugees here amid the Franco era. Playa de la Bassa Rodona is the most important beach that attracts mixed crowds. Some of the important bars in this area are Runaway, Parrots, and El Horno, which add glaze and vibrancy to queer holidays for anyone planning to visit Spain.
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