What are the Puerto Vallarta Must-Do Gay Bars? GAYPV has compiled the top Puerto Vallarta Must-Do Gay Bars. These bars are organized by the category and your visit to Puerto Vallarta should include as many of each as possible. Puerto Vallarta has been a well established gay travel destination since the 1980’s. With more than 30 gay bars including neighborhood bars, hotel bars, strip clubs and dance clubs it can be overwhelming to decide Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars and when is the best time to go.
There are other gay bar nightlife related activities and things that are a must-do including cabaret shows and live theatre.
If you find yourself asking when is the best time for gay travelers to visit Puerto Vallarta based on the weather, . See our complete gay travel guide to know when to go to Puerto Vallarta based on the weather here. With its thriving gay scene filled with special events and clothing optional pool parties, warm tropical beach climate year-round and traditional Mexican culture, this destination has everything to offer the LGBTQ+ traveler. But when is the best time to go so you do not miss anything or avoid huge crowds?
The best time to go based on the weather can depend on whether you’re seeking a relaxing getaway on the beach, a rain free adventure tour or a world class circuit party. Puerto Vallarta does have it all but there are certain times that are better than others to experience it without long lines or inclement weather
Within this article we will also give you insider travel tips of when to go to specific bars based on the time and actual day. So first, read here and plan, then pack your bags, grab your passport, and get ready to experience gay paradise at its finest!
Generally speaking, the gay bar nightlife scene in Puerto Vallarta is late night. Street side sidewalk or warm up bars attract clients as early at 3 pm but gay bars generally getting busy at 9pm. Strip Clubs open at 9pm and get busy by 10pm. Dance clubs do not open until midnight and close at 6 am. Most dance clubs begin to clear out at 3 am.
Dance Clubs
CC Slaughter’s opened in 2012 and is a popular dance club attracting a mixed American/Canadian traveler and National traveler/resident. CC Slaughters offers Delta Queen drag performers and go go boys and is busier from midnight to 3 am and busiest Thursday to Saturday nights.
Industry Night Club opened in 2019 and is one of the most popular dance clubs in Puerto Vallarta for circuit party goers. Best times to visit (the busiest) is midnight to 3 am Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Industry Night Club has a very elite set of go go dancers exclusive to the nightclub which sets the tone for the largly international crowd you will find on the dance floor.
Paco’s Ranch in Puerto Vallarta is the popular dance club open daily for the national LGBTQ+ visitor/resident for almost 25 years. Recently 11pm nightly go go dancers were added to the long tradition of midnight drag shows. Best times to visit (the busiest) is 11pm until 3 am as the busiest nights are toward the weekend (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.)
Dance Bars
Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars include Mr Flamingo a wildly popular dance bar. The dance bar is distinguished from the dance club mainly because it lacks a dance floor. Mr Flamingo is an open sided, tiki type bar often wildly busy from 9 pm until 1 am open daily playing popular and classic American dance classic tunes. Expect to see a mixed demographic including females at Mr Flamingo.
Strip Clubs
Remember Puerto Vallarta strip clubs differ from many other US strip clubs in several importance instances.
1-There can be physical interaction, touching and feeling between the club patrons and the stripper.
2-The strippers are not earning a base salary and earn money only by asking clients for tips, selling drinks to clients, and performing in private dances in the back room. Expect to be asked and be prepared to tip generously.
Antropology is Puerto Vallarta’s oldest strip club opening in 2000. It features typical performances where the stripper(s) has the sole spotlight for a short period of time dancing and performing stripping down. Open everyday from 9:00pm with their busier times of 10 pm to 12 midnight and busiest nights closer toward the weekends.
Wet Dreams is a gay strip club in Puerto Vallarta with the ORIGINAL Shower Show in Puerto Vallarta’s Romantic Zone. Open everyday from 9:00pm with their busier time is 10 pm to 12 midnight and busiest closer toward the weekends. Wet Dreams is like a free for all strip club where the strippers are walking around interacting with patrons. Wet Dreams does feature a stripper most of the time in the shower behind the bar or at select times performing a show in the back of the bar in the pole area.
69 Strip Club opened in 2019 featuring 2 floors of stripping fun. It features typical performances where the stripper(s) has the spotlight for a short period of time dancing and performing stripping down. The busier times is 10pm until 12 30 ish daily and busiest nights are toward the weekends.
Bear and Leather
Studs Bear and Leather Bar will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary in May 2025 and is among the Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars. Every night there are special events including themed and fetish events popular with the bear and leather community at Studs. Do not miss the dark room on the first floor. Studs is men only.
Best times to visit include Studs popular happy hour daily from 3-8pm. The busy times at Studs varies depending on the theme night. Studs could be busy at 830pm earlier than some bars or 10pm on fetish show nights and is open until 3 or 4 am. Expect to see all ages and body types at Studs not just bears.
Rooftop Bars
La Noche Bar opened January 2003 as a small bar next door to its current location at 267 Lazaro Cardenas. La Noche is famous for the nightly drag shows from 9pm to midnight and the sexy eye candy go go boys from midnight to 3 am. Best time to visit (the busiest) is 9pm to 12 midnight. Enjoy the rooftop open air terrace that gives the bar a completely different vibe.
OneSixOne PV is a upscale lounge with a large open air rooftop terrace. OneSixOne features house music and a very unique tree behind the bar.(Photo above.)
Hotel Bars
Top Sky Bar is the rooftop bar of Almar Hotel. Because of its incredible ocean views, great food menu and fun entertaining shows at night, Top Sky Bar easily makes the Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars list.
Blue Chairs Resort By The Sea is the world famous iconic gay bar “Parliament House in Puerto Vallarta” Puerto Vallarta gay history began in the 1990’s on the rooftop of Blue Chairs with sunset drag and stripper shows that continue to this day.
Neighborhood Bars
Puerto Vallarta has many great neighborhood bars that have unique features, character, charm and appeal. Popular Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars include Anonimo, Reinas, Tunnel Bar, Blondies 3 locations, and Apaches.
Tipping in Strip Clubs, Cabaret Theatres, and Bars
When understanding the Puerto Vallarta Must-Do Gay Bars it is important to understand the tipping custom. Here is the Strip Club Etiquette in Puerto Vallarta gay strip clubs. Remember Puerto Vallarta operates in Mexican pesos and tipping is expected and very much a necessary custom.
First and foremost, for the most part, strip clubs in Puerto Vallarta are full hands on touching and feeling. That means you generally are allowed to go hands on and touch/feel most strippers.
They are not untouchable as in many places in the world. It is customary to show your appreciation for this by giving a tip. Normally, there is no cover for strip clubs except for special holidays and events. This is important as there is no revenue from the bar to pay for any salary to the strippers.a
Generally, all strippers are working for tips only. There is normally no salary for the stripper. Therefore, he is relying on tips from customers. Normally there could be 10 to 25 strippers at each venue depending on the night and season. So you are not expected to tip everyone but pick out at least 5 of your favorites at tip them.
A nice “thank you” tip is $100 to $200 pesos per stripper. Some choose to do more.
Secondly, strippers normally make commission on drink sales when they work. This is why many ask you to buy them a drink. They drink prices are usually posted but expect stripper drinks to be more expensive than usual drinks.
Third, strippers make commissions on private dances. Private dances normally run 10 minutes, more or less. Please negotiate up front what you are looking for and an exact price for that. A normal private dance with a stripper in the private room is touching, feeling, and a sexy tease dance.
Anything beyond that should be negotiated up front. That price would normally be paid directly to the stripper at the time performed. If there are no extra services performed, a tip is appreciated.
So please expect to tip in a strip club in Puerto Vallarta, even if you are just watching a show and don’t have any physical interaction with any of them. So please do not be offended if you feel pressure to tip in the strip clubs in Puerto Vallarta. If you don’t want to tip at the strip club, then go to a regular bar or go home.
Tipping is very much appreciated and the norm when visiting all Puerto Vallarta Must-Do Gay Bars. A tip is customary and very much appreciated in the cabaret theatres in addition to the ticket price and drink minimum. Puerto Vallarta drag queens, dancers and performers in cabaret venues appreciate your gratuities.
What are some other must do gay activities and top rated things to do in Puerto Vallarta?
Cabaret Theatres The Palm Cabaret, Coco Cabaret and ACT2PV.
Puerto Vallarta has a well developed cabaret theatre scene. This includes drag shows from both international and local drag queens, Off Broadway show performances, concert renditions of all the top performers like Madonna, Lady Gagy, Prince, Freddy Mercury and more. No trip to Puerto Vallarta would not be complete without atleast 1 cabaret show from The Palm Cabaret and Bar, Coco Cabaret, and Act2PV.
Going to a drag show is a very entertaining fun night out on the town. For the most part, Puerto Vallarta drag queens performing in the gay bars in PV lip sync to your favorite American and Spanish favorites. They are very entertaining performances and have been some of Puerto Vallarta’s most favorite entertainers since the 1990’s. The drag shows in the gay bars are normally featured all year long with some exceptions July to August.
For purposes of this article La Catrina Cantina is considered a gay bar not a cabaret venue only due to the fact of La Catrina does not charge a cover or is ticketed for every show as the cabaret venues are.
The Cabaret Theatres (Act2PV, The Palm Cabaret, and Coco Theatre) feature Puerto Vallarta drag queens using their own vocals in a ticketed show. Several performers like Mama Tits, Miss Conception, and Hedda Lettuce live in Puerto Vallarta or have a residence here. Hence they have annual shows during the cabaret season November to May.
Men’s Sauna and Bathhouse Spartacus
Spartacus is Puerto Vallarta’s bathhouse with more than 4,000 sq ft spread over 4 floors with a large rooftop terrace, pool and palapa for sun lovers/smokers and nude sunbathing. Expect to see all ages, nationalities and body types at Spartacus. Generally during the week Spartacus is busy after 9 pm and on the weekends after 3 am.
Gay Tours and activities Diana’s Tours, Wet and Wild, Jet’s Naked Tour, Tamales Tours, PV Delice, Gay Bar Tour
Puerto Vallarta offers many gay tours and activites including gay boat tours, gay bar and pub tours,
For more Puerto Vallarta gay travel information like Puerto Vallarta must-do gay bars visit the GAYPV website here.