Registrants for Outsports Pride will receive free food and drink specials during our Boxers HK kickoff event. Outsports Pride features a weekend of gatherings, social events, the NYC Pride March, and a Dodgers-Mets game. Outsports will host its kickoff party for Outsports Pride on the gorgeous rooftop deck at Boxers HK, 742 Ninth Ave. And who knows, the latest Boxers could be opening up in your city before you know it. Regardless of who pours the drinks, Boxers has become one of the preeminent gay sports bars in the country. But for the owners, if the bartender is “hot and friendly,” and can handle a sometimes fast-paced work environment, that’s what matters. In fact, the owners caught hell from a handful of patrons when they hired their first straight bartenders. That isn’t to say that all of the Boxers bartenders are gay or bi. He came to Boxers young and impressionable, and he’s found his place.” We had a note from one of our bartenders just a few weeks ago. “A lot of our bartenders are young guys and they are just figuring out their lives. Gay & Lesbian Bars Bars Cocktail Lounges. “It’s changed a lot of people’s lives,” Hynds said. ONE OF THE BEST GAY BARS IN NEW YORK AND IN QUEENS.GREAT OWNERS,MANAGERS AND THE BEST BARTENDERS IN THE WHOLE CITY.MY HATS OFF TO ALL OR THEM. While providing jobs to 100 people in New York and Philadelphia is important to them, the building of an LGBTQ-friendly community for those employees is equally important. The owners are particularly proud of the impact they have had on the lives of their employees.
Hynds himself played in the Big Apple Softball League for “a long time,” which he eventually quantified as “about 30 years.” The bar is proud to be a sponsor of New York’s softball, flag football, swimming, dodgeball, running, pool and basketball teams and leagues, among other groups.
They have stayed true to their roots, remaining heavily involved in local LGBTQ sports leagues. The gay sports bar was founded by men in the local gay pool league looking for a place to play the sport they love. They play upbeat pop music and other LGBT favorites. “It’s like the new Hell’s Kitchen.”Ī Boxers bar has also popped up in Philadelphia, making the chain “multi-city.” Playhouse is one of the best NYC gay bars for dancing that isnt a circuit party. “There’s quite a gay community up there,” Hynds said. This summer they are slated to open a fourth bar in Washington Heights, the area of Manhattan north of 155th Street. They draw their crowd and we draw our crowd.”īoxers has tested that theory and opened three Boxers bars across Manhattan, each of which has tapped into the neighborhood LGBTQ community: in Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen and the Upper East Side. “Once you walk a few blocks it’s kind of a different area. “Manhattan is such a big monster, and the gay community is so big and diverse and people want to go out in their neighborhood,” Hynds told Outsports recently. While some may have scratched their heads at two gay bars opening within just a few years and within a few blocks of one another, Boxers owner Rob Hynds has found there’s enough interest in gay bars - including sports-themed bars - to make every business owner happy. When Boxers first popped up in Manhattan, there was already a gay sports bar in the neighborhood: Gym Sports Bar, which opened in Chelsea in 2005. Once the epicenter of New York Citys gay dining, nightlife, and shopping scene, Chelsea is still home to plenty of gay New Yorkers, but its a much more. Yet Boxers, the gay sports bar that originally opened its first location on 20th Street in Chelsea, is now starting its 10th year, going stronger than ever, and spreading across New York City and beyond. You can check out the best drag shows or cabaret performances, but these queer spaces all offer something unique, from cozy vibes and cheap drinks to high energy dancing and brunch parties - sometimes in the same place on different days! Maybe your interests skew more trendy and urbane, or perhaps you're more of the down-and-dirty, "what happens on the weekends, stays on the weekends" type - we're not here to judge! There are plenty of LGBTQ+ things to do in New York, but if it’s a bar you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.Outsports will host its kickoff party for Outsports Pride on the gorgeous rooftop deck at Boxers HK on June 21. The West Village is a classic destination for queer nightlife, but you’ll find something exciting and welcoming in pretty much any part of the city. You’ll also find gay scenes in Chelsea, Greenwich Village and Brooklyn. The best queer bars in NYC range from dive bars to dance clubs, with historic spots like the Stonewall Inn anchoring them all. These days, most of the gay bars and clubs are centered around Hell’s Kitchen. New York has played a major role in LGBTQ+ history, and it’s no wonder there are a slew of bars that have been beacons for the community (and prime party spots) for decades.