Montreal gay district

This guide to the famous Montreal Gay Village will show you why Montreal has become a top LGBT tourist destination for travelers around the world. Montreal is famous for its welcoming and diverse people, vibrant male lover nightlife, and beautiful architecture. Also, poutine. 

The Montreal Male lover Village is easy to spot and even easier to differentiate from the rest of the urban area. Named unsurprisingly exactly what it is, Gay Village Montreal is full of restaurants, shops, bars, nightclubs, hotels, street performers, attractive art, and surprises around every corner.

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The Gay Village Montreal runs along Sainte-Catherine Street from Berri to Papineau Lane. Stepping onto Sainte-Catherine Highway is like leaving the regular world and entering gay world (yes, that was a Mean Girls reference). Upon stepping onto the street, you will see over 180,000 rainbow balls strung above your head, spanning the 1km stretch that makes up the Montreal Gay Village. It is seriously matchless for the ‘gram.

From April until September, this colorful stretch of Ste-Catherine avenue is closed down to vehicle traffic, meaning the street fills with vibrant people

Historic Montréal LGBTQ+ milestones

1648

Montréal was just a tiny outpost of the French Empire when a gay military drummer with the French garrison was charged by the Request with committing “the worst of crimes” and sentenced to death.

The drummer’s experience was spared after Jesuits in Québec City intervened on his behalf, and he was given a choice by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Québec: die or become the first executioner of Brand-new France.

The unidentified drummer took the executioner job.

1869

The first recorded gay establishment in North America was Montrealer Moise Tellier’s “apples and cake shop” on Craig Street (now Saint-Antoine Street) near Saint-Laurent Boulevard, where men met up for amorous liaisons. 

1968

Between 1968 and 1983, Montréal legend Denise Cassidy – better known as Babyface, her nickname inherited from her brief career as a pro wrestler – managed some of the city’s first lesbian bars: La Source, La Guillotine, Toddler Face Disco, Chez Neonate Face and Face de bébé (1486 René-Levesque Boulevard West), which closed in 1983.

1973

Disco’s Second City, Montréal was home to famed Lime Illumination discotheque

The Village

The Village’s come-one, come-all spirit marks this rainbow-hued quarter as a crucial part of the city’s urban landscape. Both an LGBT+ community gathering gesture and a living, breathing neighbourhood, the Village is far more than one of Montréal’s liveliest party hubs and the centre of summer's Pride events – although, nowhere else quite gets down in the quite same way.

Montréal’s big gay heart

Openness 24/7

Beaudry metro station with its rainbow pillars stands proudly at the geographic heart of Montréal’s Village, the biggest of its kind in North America. Bustling Sainte-Catherine Street running east to west acts as the gaybourhood’s main drag, stacked with nice eateries, eye-popping boutiques, and a multitude of B&B options housed in uniquely Montréalaise architecture. Welcoming nightclubs that stay packed extended into the night personify Montréal’s joie de vivre and the anything goes scene awaits with arms open wide. But the fun runs 24/7, making Le Village one of Montréal’s most vibrant, unseal, and inclusive quarters both day and night.

Montreal stands out as one of the world’s highest LGBTQ+ destinations, where homosexual bars and clubs describe the city’s vibrant nightlife. Home to one of North America’s largest Lgbtq+ Villages, Montreal’s inclusive soul extends far beyond, with queer-friendly venues and events across the city. For 2025, the 19th edition of the one-kilometre-long summer pedestrian mall on Saint-Catherine Street transforms the Village into a lively hub of some 40 terrasses. Discover our ultimate mentor to Montreal’s best Homosexual and queer-friendly spots, from rooftop bars and karaoke to unforgettable drag shows.

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Best LGBTQ+ bars in Montreal

1. Cabaret Mado

Named for beloved Montreal drag ic

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