A night out in Montreal’s Gay Village — in the wintertime

With its European flourishes, rich history, picturesque cobblestone streets, and rainbow-covered Gay Village, there’s no city in Canada, or in the world, quite like Montréal.

And as I recently experienced on my first-ever trip, there’s no place like Montréal in the winter.

January is the coldest month of the year, when the average temperature is 14 degrees, and every day carries a high chance of snow. While this meant boots were essential, iced coffee was impossible, and all the streets looked like a Hallmark Christmas flick, it didn’t mean the city shut down. (Even if they were selling balls of snow covered in hot maple.)

In fact, my group of five gay Americans on a holiday weekend learned firsthand that you can have a wild night out in Montréal’s Village — which was a silver winner at this year’s Best of GayCities — any night of the week, any time of the year.

Here’s the gay-bar breakdown of our snowy Saturday night…

1. Le Stud

Upon walking into the red-hued entrance to Le Stud, I was surprised to find a sprawling gay labyrinth. This low-key, late-night spot features multiple bars, a dance floor, video lottery, pool tables, and karaoke.

With adult films playing on the screens, top-40 music playing at a dull roar from the speakers — we heard three Adele songs — and a steady crowd, it was the perfect place to chat with locals and knock back a few gin and tonics. Make sure you have some dollars, though. They’re cash-only, and heads up, the money is colored here. LOL.

2. Bar Renard

There’s a communal feeling to Bar Renard, an extra-long, rectangular-sized room with a stretched-out bar, wood paneling, and fans lining the walls, not that they were needed in the winter. From our perch near the front door, we watched the floors grow slicker with snow under the occasional sparkles of a well-placed disco ball.

During our tabletop tenure, the bar packed to standing-room only, just to empty, then fill up again, all while snowflakes speckled the long glass windows at the front. The clientele was as diverse as our quintet’s different colored cocktails, and the music spanned from throwback Y2K jams that had us singing, to under-appreciated pop-girl bops that had us shaking.

Still, the best moment was when a friend asked the mustachioed bartender if there was a signature drink in Montréal, and he replied, “Yeah, a vodka soda.” Touché.

3. Club Unity

Club Unity bills itself as the biggest gay club in Montréal, and this huge space delivered. The neon-dominated decor, ginormous stage, inescapable lights, and quirky collection of different wallpapers were worth the cost of the cover alone.

Under chandeliers and a graffiti mural that read, “Trust me, love me, f*ck me,” the club’s name felt especially apt. We danced with gays, girls, non-binary babes, and a shocking amount of straight guys to an even more surprising curation of 2010s tunes.

Nevertheless, the highlight was stepping out onto the rooftop terrace, mostly closed due to the snow, where gossip and cigarette smoke flew freely. I don’t speak a lick of French, but I could absolutely tell the eavesdropping opportunities were impeccable.

4. District Video Lounge

The perfect place to end the night was District Video Lounge, a divey bar with tons of beer, plentiful shots (even against our better judgment), cozy booths, and a giant screen rotating through clips like a super-sized Gay Guy Music Video Night.

Needless to say, the frigid winds and below-zero temps were no match for a group of guys eager to experience Montréal.

And while I’m sure the sunny summers and Pride Month festivities are on another level entirely, there was one indisputable highlight to calling it quits in the cold: We had absolutely no reservations about treating ourselves to some much-needed grease, care of A&W.

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