You are not limited on choice when it comes to cocktail spots with perfect vistas. The stunning sunsets are set against the brilliant blue sea and a kaleidoscopic sky, all enhanced by sets from world-class DJs playing in bars that line the promenade.įollowing the promenade at the end of the sunset strip, as you make your way further round the bay towards the small beach of Caló des Moro, there is a string of other sunset bars and restaurants. In San An, you will find the famous Sunset Strip with the famous Sunset bars, undeniably a legendary spot on Ibiza and a rite of passage for anyone visiting the White Isle for the first or even the 15th time. Ultimate clubbing can be found in the super-clubs Eden Ibiza and Es Paradis and in the open-air pool party venues O Beach Ibiza and Ibiza Rocks. San Antonio is home to an extensive range of bars, clubs and restaurants in the famous West End and the surrounding pedestrianised lanes, as well as on the lovely promenade. While it has garnered a reputation as a party hotspot over the years, San Antonio is also a favourite with locals, who descend in the evenings and at weekends to take advantage of its excellent restaurant scene. As she salsa dances past my table to Thalia’s Amor a la Mexicana, I look around at the audience, clapping and singing along, and see a community that has mastered the art of being seen-no matter how small or large the stage.With a picturesque harbour, bustling sandy beach and palm-lined promenade that snakes all the way from the small Caló des Moro beach to the other side of the bay, San Antonio is not only a beautiful resort for holidaymakers, it is also the stepping stone to Ibiza's famous clubbing scene. Back at the Pegasus, Tonica Cavalli, Miss Gay Texas 2022, is in the spotlight, resplendent in head-to-hip nude sequins. Until the legislation catches up to San Antonio’s progressive spirit, its LGBTQ+ residents continue to find ways to share their experience. “We have these blue dots in Texas,” says Kennedy “But when they’re surrounded by a red environment, the impact of conservative evangelicalism and an overwhelmingly white, rural Christian culture bleeds into how you view and what schools teach you about yourself.” Medical services are so lacking for trans people that many wait six months or more, or else travel to Austin, for gender-affirming care. Still, Maddie Kennedy, Thrive’s director of community affairs/development, tells me, “Statewide barriers exist that we can’t overcome.” For example, changing a name or gender marker is costly and time consuming within the state.
On June 18, for the first time, the city’s tourism department will host a Pride parade and festival front and center on the city’s iconic Riverwalk. Down the street, Luther’s stages a variety of shows, including an all-ages drag brunch on Sunday.įiesta itself has spawned nearly a dozen gay-run or -friendly events, paving the way for Pride San Antonio, a weeklong community celebration in June, as well as October’s San Antonio LGBT International Film Festival. Besides the Pegasus, the city’s gay bars include longtime dance club the Bonham Exchange, and Sparky’s Pub, an English-style tavern beloved for its happy-hour drink specials. While many of the original clubs from the 1970s have closed or changed hands, LGBTQ+ culture has flourished. Five years later, it installed the most visible expression of its support for the community: the Rainbow Crosswalk, at the intersection of Evergreen Street and Main Avenue, in the heart of the LGBTQ+ district. In 2013, the city passed a landmark nondiscrimination ordinance that aligned its policies with those of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. One-third of those age 16 to 24 identify as transgender, nonbinary, or nonconforming.
Thirty-six percent identify as bisexual or pansexual, 30 percent as gay, and 19 percent as lesbian. According to a 2020 report co-authored by Stone, San Antonio has a growing population of racially diverse, primarily Latino, LGBTQ+ residents. The LGBTQ+ community has grown by leaps and bounds since Nixx first made a splash on the pageant and drag circuit.