Paradise gay club cambridge

Paradise

Reviews 22

A Secret User

This place is ridiculous. Used to come here a lot for amazing music and dancing, could always glance past the porn playing on TVs and the needy strippers. But then I tried to bring some girlfriends (having warned them about porn, strippers, etc) for a great night of dancing. In one case, they told one of the girls that she was going to have to inspect her coat dress (ZERO tolerance on the coat review policy). When we tried pointing out that she had nothing on underneath a MOST unpleasant manager came out screaming at us. Even though we never made it past the coat check, they refused to refund the cover charge we had just paid. In another case they told another girl she couldnt come in because she was wearing heels. HEELS! They say its because someone fell down the stairs in heels and theyre afraid of existence liable. Apparently its not just the strippers that dont have balls. Maybe theyre just trying to make it hard for women to come in. I dont realize, it doesnt matter. Ill never go back here.

James Budkiewicz

Its an ok place. The drinks are average price and there is a massive downstairs area for dancing and drinking. The upstairs area wa

In a good place to be Homosexual, dedicated spaces for those communities can be difficult to find

Campus, seen June 15, is the Thursday LGBTQ+ evening at ManRay in Cambridge’s Central Square. (Photo: Annie Schugart)

In Cambridge and Somerville, you would be hard pressed to find a place where members of the LGBTQ+ group are not welcome. Pride flag stickers are a dime a dozen on store and café windows, and nobody seems to brain bold proclamations of gender or sexuality. In many ways, it’s an preferred place to be LGBTQ+ in an America that is growing more hostile.

Spaces dedicated to the community are sparse, though. Club and bar nights remain, but there are no gay bars to be heard of since the closing of Paradise in 2018. In neighboring Boston, spaces have been fading too: Machine in Fenway closed to make way for a condo maturation, and Bella Luna and the Milky Way in Jamaica Plain closed during the Covid pandemic.

One of the spaces that remain in Cambridge is Campus at ManRay, a club night that happens every Thursday. The night itself is informal compared with some others at ManRay that cater to specific, alternative subcultures and come with dress codes. The only

Various historic places around Massachusetts own closed down this summer. First it was Porthole Pub on the Lynnway (which was RIGHT next to my building), next it was the Spuds on Lincoln Avenue in Saugus, and Bianchi’s on Revere Beach served their last pizza last week. This truly is the summer of change for many people.

One recent announcement was a design in the making, but is still causing shockwaves among the LBGTQ community in Boston. Paradise, Boston’s historic gay nightclub on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, will be closing their doors this month. The final show will be held on Saturday September 15^th, which was announced through their Facebook page a week ago.

This truly comes as a shock for many patrons of Paradise. So what exactly is to blame for this tragic occasion? Some place the impute on the growing popularity of gay dating apps, such as Grindr or Scruff. Word was going around that the territory was becoming too expensive, what with Boston becoming increasingly gentrified each year. What’s interesting is that this plan was in the works before Grindr even became popular in Boston.

The closing of Paradise poses as a PR

Paradise (CLOSED)

Surrounded by the boutique eateries on a colorful but quiet stretch of Mass Ave between Main Square and MIT, Paradise is a nightclub with a raunchy reputation for providing gay entertainment, from well-waxed go-go boys on the basement level sway floor to gay porn in its more relaxed lounge. Some find the atmosphere and goings-on intimidating, but it’s a scene that endures and entertains nevertheless.

Address: 180 Massachusetts Ave; Cambridge; 02139

Cross street:: Albany Street

Transport:: Red Line to Central

Opening hours:: Sun-Wed 9pm-1am; Thu 9pm-2am; Fri-Sat 7pm-2pm

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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