Jacques could not get a license herself because the licensing board still believed Newspaper stories that ran about the party had headlines that read, “Fairies Flitting.” Adamian’s license was denied, and the club was shut down. The film featured men kissing, scantily dressed in Bob Mackie designer costumes. The footage at Adamian’s liquor license hearing. Undercover police filmed the club’s wild 1980 Halloween party and showed It was less popular with Clark County authorities because of owner George Adamian’s alleged mob involvement and a dirty tricks letter writing campaign to the County Commission from Naples Street residents, supposedly instigated by Marge’s old rival Camille Castro, complaining about noise, drug use and “homosexual acts.” Habitués included Joan Rivers and Siegfried and Roy, and the new club was a success. She blamed her business rival Camille Castro, owner of Le Bistro.Īt the Village Station, Jacques opened the Backstage Bar, a stylish 40sstyle bistro as an escape from the noisy disco up front. Rumors flew that Jacques had set the fire herself.
Le Café burned in 1978 in a mysterious arson fire that remains unsolved. Photo by Tonya Harvey/ Las Vegas Spectrum Gay historian Dennis McBride wrote that “the Las Vegas gay community first found its voice” at Le Café. 1, 1980, helmed by the colorful and controversial Marge Jacques, former owner of the popular gay restaurant club, Le Café.Jacques was a boisterous, out lesbianĪnd Le Café was the first gay bar to openly allow same-gender dancing. Purchased by straight Armenian businessman George Adamian, “a wheeler dealer in business, but not in Vegas terms,” according to later owner Kerin Rodgers, Disco Fever reopened as the Village Station on Aug.
None holds the history of gay Vegas though quite like Gipsy, located in the heart of the “Fruit Loop” at Paradise and Naples.īorn as a series of swank Italian restaurants owned by the likes of Robert Goulet and Don Rickles, the club emerged into the gay nightclub scene in the late 1970s as Disco Fever, party central for the pre-AIDS bacchanalia of drugs, sex and disco balls. Fun Hog Ranch is a casual hangout that routinely partners with community organizations for fun, themed events, while The Garage offers patio seating perfectly suited for the destination’s cool fall evenings.The history of Las Vegas’s LGBTQ+community can be told through the history of its lesbian and gay bars - Maxine’s, The Red Barn, Le Café, Snick’s, and many others. Nearby lounges and nightclubs welcome visitors and locals alike throughout the year for weekly and monthly social events. These large-scale events only add to the vibrancy of the local LGBTQ+ bar scene. The social calendar stays sizzling long after the sun sets on summer! The Nevada Gay Rodeo Association’s Big Horn Rodeo and Aid for AIDS of Nevada’s Black & White Party are held each September, while October brings the annual Las Vegas PRIDE celebration and the ClexaCon festival.
As an all-encompassing and inclusive destination, Las Vegas welcomes everyone to come as they are and celebrate their own individual spirit.
This is a year-round playground offering annual events that attract visitors from all around the world. Whether you prefer to drop by Vegas with a plan or just wing it, you’ll find many can’t-miss LGBTQ+-focused events happening whenever you visit.