Neighborhood
Reguliersdwarsstraat
in Amsterdam, Netherlands
The trendy gay street with bars and clubs.
Where it is
The Reguliersdwarsstraat is a short central street running parallel to the Rembrandtplein, close to the flower market and the Munttoren.
Address: Reguliersdwarsstraat, 1017 BJ Amsterdam
What it is
The "Reguliers" is the heart of gay nightlife, lined with bars and clubs whose open façades spill onto the pavement in summer. Venues such as Soho, Taboo, NYX and Exit draw a mixed, lively crowd, and during the summer Amsterdam Pride the street becomes one big celebration.
History
From the 1960s the street grew into Amsterdam's leading gay nightlife strip; in 1963 the Mac Donald opened as its first gay bar. In the late 1970s and 1980s a wave of bars and clubs such as Café April (1981) and Club Exit (1988) followed, cementing Amsterdam's reputation as an international queer capital.