Best Lesbian Dance Clubs in Chicago

When travelling to a new city, I am always saddened by how difficult it is to find good lesbian/ queer dance nights. Gay sites tend to point toward the much more prevalent all, or mostly all, boy clubs and though I always have a blast when dancing with my gay boy friends, I am left wondering if more lesbian/ queer/ trans friendly clubs are truly non-existent in most places.

For this reason I wanted to put out into cyberland some information about truly great and accepting places to dance in my city of Chicago.

The list below by no means covers all of the gay friendly, or even gay oriented clubs in Chicago. These are very numerous. And the clubs below are not necessarily the most "popular" of the gay clubs in Chicago, meaning you won't likely find them listed in more mainstream city guides as "the places to go". The clubs listed below are the ones that those of us who are queer and living in Chicago go to because they have the queerest crowds, the most open atmosphere, the most fun music, and consistantly end up being a great night of dancing.

1. FKA aka Formerly Known As- First Thursday of every Month- no cover

Big Chicks

5024 N Sheridan Rd

between Argyle St and Carmen St

red line to Argyle

773-728-5511

Located in Uptown, FKA is an once a month queer dance party that should not be missed. People start arriving around 10PM and folks don't waste a lot of time before hitting the dance floor. Be aware that showing up closer to midnight during the summer may leave you waiting in a very long line to get in.

Big Chicks is not a huge place and whether you're dancing on the dance floor or mingling by the bar, you'll find yourself packed in quite snuggly with a crowd of youngish, queer, indie type folks. Despite the frustration that is pushing yourself through the masses to get to the bathroom, the up mood and energy of this dance night means you will you'll likely leave here in good spirits. The music is varied, upbeat, and playful.

As is the case with all public places in the city, there is no smoking indoors, though there is an easily accessible back patio for smokers.

2. Chances- Third Monday of every Month- no cover

The Subterranean

2011 W North Ave

corner of North, Damen, and Milwaukee

blue line to Damen

Like FKA, this once a month Wicker Park dance party bills itself as queer and open to all gender expressions, and like FKA it succeeds in being a truly fun dance night held in an accepting environment. The music here is phenomenal for dancing, and generally even more varied than at FKA. The venue and dance floor are bigger, but that doesn't keep this Monday night dance party from getting quite crowded and raucous with a hip and indie queer crowd. (106)

Chances Dances also hosts a "dance optional" night called Off Chances the second Tuesday of the month at Danny's,

1959 W. Dickens Ave. I have never been to Off Chances but I hear it is a good night to check out for a more laid back evening out.

3. Star Gaze- open every night, best crowds on weekends, $5 cover

Star Gaze

5419 North Clark Street

between Balmoral Ave & Catalpa Ave

red line to Bryn Mawr

Unlike the first two entires on this list, Star Gaze is a club and not just a night, with dancing all the time. Also, unlike the first two, this club is specifically geared toward lesbians where as the others are geared toward queers of any sex and gender. I am a little hesitant to put this club on the list as the lesbians of this city tend to have a love hate relationship with this club. On one hand, it is pretty much THE lesbian dance club in the city, and if you want to go out to dance with or meet other ladies, this is a sure bet. On the other hand, the music can be lacking sometimes, and so can the crowd. Being the lesbian club in the city, it draws its share suburbanites hitting the city for a night of dancing. But if you're ok with a mixed crowd of young, old, urban, and definitely not urban, great times can be had here.

4. Spin- open every night, cover varies

Spin

800 W Belmont Ave

between Dayton St & Halsted St

red line to Belmont

Of all of the mainstream gay/ lesbian clubs in Chicago, I've found Spin to be the least meat-market-ey and to have a more diverse and queer crowd than others. This place tends to have a good mix of boys and girls, though less of the outwardly in-between/ gender queer. The style of music changes each night so if you hate hip hop, you will want to check ahead of time to make sure you're not going on hip hop night, etc. This place is a good size and I've never seen it get so crowded that its hard to get around. Also, they just remodelled and you will no longer have to wait an hour in line to use the bathroom. The staff here is great and I've seen some really fantastic shows here before the dancing starts up.