The latest issue of long-running US gay magazine Out has named the '50 Greatest Gay Bars in the World' - but the closest the list gets to New Zealand is the Imperial Hotel in Sydney. The list is comprised mostly of bars and clubs in the United States, along with several European entries and a few from elsewhere including Kathmandu, Bangkok and Hanoi. The Imperial Hotel is described as "a thriving icon of gay Australia nestled in the Sydney suburbs." The final scenes from The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert were shot at the Imperial, and drag favourite Mitzi Macintosh has been re-enacting them there ever since. The venue is now closed for refurbishment, and is scheduled to reopen next month. Several readers responded to the article by highlighting their favourite local bar on the Out website. One Sydneysider typed: "What were you thinking? The Imperial is a dive and in the middle of nowhere. Save your time and head to Slide." "You guys must have been drunk when you came up with this hairbrained idea," another reader commented. "Everyone has their own favourites depending on age, interest, and 'getting lucky'. This is just crazy... you should just get a copy of the Spartacus Guide." The list can be viewed on the link below.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Monday, 29th October 2007 - 10:48am