Diversity is the standard in Rotterdam. Here, 170 nationalities live together in harmony, and this cultural wealth is celebrated exuberantly. In this city, where ‘being different’ does not exist, because everyone is different, everyone can be themselves. These are the hot spots of the Rotterdam LGBTQ+ scene.
The best way to start your day is with a visit to Dekoffiebar, surrounded by high-end fashion stores, on Karel Doormanstraat. Inside, you can enjoy a cup of Italian Buscaglione coffee on Chesterfield couches, and film noir on the brick walls. Outside, on the terrace, you can enjoy watching the passers-by. For a tasty lunch with an excellent glass of wine, try Nostra on the Van Oldenbarneveltstraat, which has long been the place where a mix of gays and shopping fashionistas gather.
Bomm in Kralingen is one of the newest hot spots: this restaurant has a lovely ambience and a menu with plenty of options for lunch and dinner, or drinks and snacks. Finally, whether you’re looking for of a cup of tea on the terrace, a (vegetarian) burger, a gin & tonic or a place to dance the night away, you can’t go wrong at FERRY on the Westblaak, open from 14:00.
Rotterdam #3 most LGBTQ-friendly cities in the world
If you’re looking for somewhere cool to have a drink, the best gay bars are concentrated in the centre of Rotterdam. If you draw a line from Churchillplein to Westblaak, and from Westblaak to Mauritsweg, you have Rotterdam’s ‘pink triangle’. Start on Van Oldenbarneveltstraat at wine bar Nostra, then cross the street to experience the exhilarating vibe at Strano, where a young and mixed clientele party. Next door, you will find the Regenboog party café. At the cosmopolitan FERRY on Westblaak, you can enjoy cocktails and upbeat music. Loge ’90 is a fixture in Rotterdam’s gay nightlife and has the feel of a neighbourhood pub where everyone knows each other. And when it’s getting really late, then the fun is just getting started at Keerweer, and at Bonaparte on the Nieuwe Binnenweg, just outside the pink triangle. The night is young!
Enjoy modern and classic films with an LBGTQ+ theme during Gay Film Night, every first Tuesday of the month at LantarenVenster. In the summer months, there is even a Gay & Lesbian Summer Film Festival where you can watch LBGTQ+ films from all over the world.
at LantarenVensterEvery last Sunday of the month, there is Café Fatal at Theatre Rotterdam: a hetero-friendly ballroom dancing night for LBGTQ+ people. A concept that comes from Berlin and was brought to Rotterdam by the DJ duo LesDJ. Beginners and advanced students of all ages dance on the same floor under the guidance of experienced instructors from Dance school de Klerk.
From waltz to sambaBesides clubs and bars, you can also meet like-minded people at a professional level at Mankracht Rotterdam. Every third Thursday of the month, there are drinks from 18:00 to 21:30 at a different location, where a well-known or less well-known gay professional is interviewed.
for gay professionalsIf you like dancing, Strano has a ball every weekend, and FERRY also regularly organises club nights. The big clubs also programme for the LBGTQ+ scene and friends. Parties like WTF in Villa Thalia are always well attended, as are the parties such as Betty Ford Clinic and Cocktail Fest that pop up at various locations.
The most legendary club in the city, which attaches great importance to freedom, tolerance and ‘being who you are’, is Now&Wow, on the top floor of the industrial Maassilo.
A few times a year, gay life in Rotterdam reaches its peak: during the Kings Parade on King’s Day (27 April 2021. Not in 2020 because of the coronavirus) and the KeerWeerParade (during Rotterdam Pride, 18 to 27 September 2020).
The 7th edition of Rotterdam Pride will take place from 18 to 27 September 2020. For over a week, the city celebrates its cultural and sexual diversity. With art, performances, talks, sporting events, parties and much more. There is something to experience for all ages.
