A Gay Pride Festival goer shows his pride. Photo by Kendal Montgomery.
Though Chile in general is a fairly conservative country, Santiago is slowly evolving, and being gay isn´t as taboo as it once was. Granted, it´s no San Francisco, but there is a well established gay scene here, and no matter your sexual preference, there are some pretty cool "gay clubs" to check out in the city.
Conveniently clustered for the most part in the Bellavista neighborhood, one could make a night of gay bar hopping, catching shows and dancing the night away. The majority of the gay night life seems to gravitate toward Bombero Núñez Street, where you can find everything from more bar-like atmospheres to Madonna-blasting discos.
One of the most well known bars is Bokhara which is known to get pretty wild and is always hosting special events. And there´s also Bunker, which will be hosting a fantastic looking drag show this Saturday, 21 May, called "DIVAS de la noche" (Night Divas). However, they´ve always got something going on, so if you can´t make it Saturday, just check out their site for up to date programming.
The thing is, that due to all the glitzy shows, the cover for many of these bars is usually at least 5,000 CLP (about $10 USD), which could be a bit pricey; however, though I can´t personally attest to their quality, I´ve heard that it´s well worth the cover, as the shows are truly entertaining. But if you´re not looking for a show, or you want to at least start the night a bit calmer, there are options like Bar 105 which is a more low-key, exclusive type atmosphere known for good music.
The list of clubs and bars goes on and on, and not all are located in Bellavista, but if you´re looking to hop around, as I mentioned, just find Bombero Núñez and start walking, there are tons. And the cool thing is, that it´s not rare to encounter straight people at these places, so if you´re door doesn't swing that way, no biggy, you´ll still have a good time.
So, get out there and check out a show, dance and enjoy Santiago´s gay nightlife, full of good times.
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