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Best Bars In OC To Celebrate Pride Month

gay bar 610
(credit: Shutterstock)

Some people think West Hollywood has it going on when it comes to LGBT entertainment. Well, Orange County is stepping up its game with their OC Pride. Anaheim has officially declared June as LGBT month, and every night will be a celebration. While all the bars and clubs will be revved up, there are some that will do it better than others. If you live in the OC and are apart of the LGBT community you're probably already in the know. If you're not, then you'll want to check out these five establishments.

velvet lounge santa ana
(credit: Niki S./Yelp)

Velvet Lounge
416 W. 4th St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701
(714) 232-8727
www.velvetoc.com

Known as one of the best gay bars in all of Orange County, the Velvet Lounge will be celebrating OC Pride with fun and flair. If not only for the Vixen martinis and delicious summer pasta, you definitely need to go for the shows. Pick your visual sensation of Lipstick and Lashes Dinner and Drag hosted by Shannel, The Vixen Show Over the Rainbow or the weekend drag brunch featuring The Velvettes and The Brunchettes. The girls are gorgeous, the food is fabulous and the fun is for everyone. And the service and management make the Velvet Lounge even better.

Related: Best Drag Queen Shows in the Southland

mainstreet bar
(credit: Main Street Bar & Cabaret)

Main Street Bar & Cabaret
1460 S. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 494-0056
www.mainstreet-bar.com

During OC Pride, the Main Street Bar & Cabaret should definitely be one of the bars you visit. On a mission to bring the cause back to Laguna Beach with fun and great entertainment, the bar features everything from 260,000 karaoke songs on Mondays and Tuesdays to Cabaret Drag on Wednesdays, to GoGo Boys and Dance Mix on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday is another fun event too as they feature a happy hour at 4pm you won't want to miss. With friendly bartenders, it's the perfect spot to celebrate whether it's Pride month or not!

tin lizzie saloon
(credit: Tin Lizzie Saloon)

Tin Lizzie Saloon
752 St. Clair St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 966-2029
www.tinlizziesaloon.com

Looking for a more sophisticated haunt for OC Pride month? Tin Lizzie Saloon, with its fine wine, classic and signature cocktails and Victorian lounge decor, is the place to go. A comfortable meld of visitors and locals can shoot some pool, enjoy a broad selection of tunes on the satellite jukebox and be entertained by themed events every night of the week. Even better, the doors open at 11:30 a.m. with happy hour beginning just as early. Keep in mind, the place is on the small side and fills quickly, especially on weekends.

Club Ripples LB
(credit: Club Ripples)

Club Ripples
5101 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 433-0357
www.clubripples.com

Looking for a party? Club Ripples is it. It starts with $3 wells, $4 shots and $7 LIT's. Saturday and Sundays have a different event every weekend. Ladies night is Friday night and with shows like the Adonis Lounge Strip Show and Bearbar (formerly known as beer bust) with Bear GoGo dancers it's hard not to have an amazing time. Club Ripples is another establishment that gets it right when it comes to customer service. Super friendly staff and a good times await.

frat house bar
(credit: Laura R./Yelp)

Frat House Bar & Nightclub
8112 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 373-3728
www.frathouseonline.com
 
Serving the LGBT community since 1985, the "Gay Every Day" Frat House Bar & Nightclub is a non stop party with a full bar, pool tables, live entertainment, free wifi and 4 Large HDTVs playing videos from some of the hottest VDJ's. Celebrate OC Pride with $3.50 drink specials Monday-Thursday, GoGo Boy Fridays featuring The Frat Boys, Latin Night Saturday night and GoGo Drag on Sunday. Party starts 4 p.m.

Related: Best Gay Bars In OC

In addition to OC Pride month, OC is hosting its very first OC Pride Week (July 27 through August 2) with festivities taking place at a different venue each night, with the OC Pride festival taking place on August 1 in Downtown Santa Ana. The last day of the festival will take place at West Street Gay Beach in Laguna.The festival is free to the public, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Kristine G. Bottone is a freelance writer living in Los Angeles. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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