G-A-Y Manchester
The UK's Largest Gay and Lesbian PartyAverage Reviews
About
Part of the iconic brand G-A-Y owned by Jeremy Joseph. G-A-Y Manchester is located on Canal Street, Manchester, M1 3WB.
Photos
Reviews
Based on 395 reviews
Bartholomew J.
05:49 03 Nov 23
Rating: I recently had the pleasure of visiting "GAY," and I must say, it was an absolutely fantastic experience. From the moment I walked in, the...ryan b
02:31 18 Aug 23
As a visitor to Manchester, me and my best friend went to "GAY" we stood in line and waited to get to the front, at the front a female bouncer asked me for my ID (flattered at 29) and patted me down and let me in, a male bouncer asked for me female best friends ID, during this time a male approached the bouncer and asked for entry (must have been his friend or someone, completely ignored my best friend while muttering about a bag search of her handbag, the very rude and very abrupt manager who thinks he's clearly sometimes he isn't and gives us LGBTQ+ a bad name) asked my best friend if she had her bad searched, my friend said well I don't know because he asked for my ID but didn't look at my bag (being honest) the manager get a very abrupt attitude, said you know if your bag has being searched, my friend said well he looked at my ID but then his mate appeared and he ignored me...the manager didn't like this and decided he wasn't letting her in.. I get ID checks and bag searchs are a procedure, but make sure staff are following the above, bouncers are paid to do a job, not talk to there mate who wants to cut the queue to gain quick entry, therefore ignoring people who've spent 10 minutes waiting and causing the above issues. We have sent a complaint into the head office so let's see what comes of the above.Vishnu K
15:11 31 Jul 23
Club is alright but the bouncers are very much discriminating..they allow entry to you based on your ethnicity ..don't even give a reason if you ask..ignore this placeOliwia Blues
17:43 27 Jul 23
I went there yesterday night with my friends and one of the bouncers made me feel really uncomfortable. I gave him my ID and he said my nationality out loud to the other bouncer. He intentionally made me feel bad about myself by saying it in a discriminatory manner. I found that completely inappropriate and disrespectful. I didn’t understood why he had to mention it, so that everyone from the queue knows where I’m from. It’s literally nobody’s business.Later he took his UV-light and checked my ID, this made me feel like he didn’t believe it was real. Later he said in a really cheeky way: “oh you didn’t expect that happening, did you?” I didn’t responded anything, so I could see that he got annoyed and said: “apparently not”.I honestly didn’t have the energy to confront him, as all I really wanted for me as well as my friends is to just sit down and relax after a long day of walking and exploring Manchester, before we had our coach back home.What I experienced was honestly disgusting behaviour and I will never go back to this club.I will not allow anyone to discriminate me against on my nationality and make me feel uncomfortable at the same time. I expected more from a LGBT+ club. It should be a safe place with no judgement, but it wasn’t the case.Mark Clarke
20:44 26 Jul 23
I was reminded today of how racist this venue when I heard a story from one of my gay Muslim friends. Which reminded me of the racist door staff that works here refusing entry to my two friends that went here with me. I was only tipsy and they don't drink, we were refused entry and the reason was that my friends were drunk. Quite ironic really.Upon telling them the staff that I'd barely touched any alcohol and my friends don't drink, they just said that they don't need to tell us why we aren't allowed in and told us to go away in a very aggressive and hateful manner.So I decided to make sure I posted this review.Absolutely disgusting.I must have spent at least £300+ here on my prior visits, probably definitely more. But that doesn't matter for this place.Never coming back here again. And if I do I ain't spending any money. Just gonna take up floor space to reduce how much they can make a bit at gay pride.Camilo Gutierrez
01:43 23 Jul 23
DON’T GO. Really rude bouncers and racist management. Turns out G-A-Y has become racist, banning people for not looking like "regulars." I've been coming for three years since I arrived in Manchester, but this year it has started to feel weird for internationals and those who don't fit their idea of "looking gay enough." Besides, if you politely ask a bouncer for a reason behind their behavior, you get put on their black list and are almost pushed out. I feel absolutely ashamed of having spent a penny at this place.FYI: They take pictures of every customer, which is an absolute violation of your privacy. If they don't want to let you in, bouncers make up an excuse about you having behaved inappropriately and claim to have recorded evidence. I was away from the country recently, and apparently, they had footage of me being rude to one of the bouncers... while I was in Italy? Absolute nonsense.Jordy Turangan
12:35 18 Jul 23
Due to the age group I am in not necessarily the place to go to. However, the times I have been here, I have always had fun and it's a good place to go if you want a fun night (dance, dance, dance)As to the previous reviews saying the door staff is racist. I am not white myself and I have never been denied access or have had any issues regarding my skin colour.Wearing joggers or clothes that you clearly do not wear when going out is a good point to be refused, this is just common sense.Sherman C
08:26 07 Jul 23
Doorman checked ID, pat me down and then said you couldn’t wear joggers, while so many others are just wearing jeans and whatever. It’s okay if you have a dress code, but just make it clear so people don’t come and get disappointed, unless there’s some unspoken criteria that you are not proud of publishing?Kobe Lockley (tiny K)
17:14 25 Jun 23
I’d give it a 0 if I could. Me and my friends was going to G.A.Y for a good time but as we got to the bouncers they said my friend had too many drinks even though he was sober. We all think it’s because he was dressed to straight and they made an excuse. He was very upset by this and he is actually gay but wasn’t dressed gay enough. Absolutely disgustingRachael Hallman
23:23 24 Jun 23
Absolute RACISTS on the door!! We came from Warrington pride, taking pictures with Crystal from RuPaul's Drag Race to be turned away at the door from one look at my friend! The man said regulars ONLY! I stepped forward and asked is it because I'm from Liverpool I can't come in and he froze. The 'head door woman' came over and said it was because my male friend was wearing a tracksuit, which was NOT what the first man said. They took one look at me and my two black friends and said move now you are not getting in. We have gave you two excuses now which is bull to hide their discrimination!!!! Protect yourselves before coming here!!!!Jenifer Muscroft
22:04 24 Jun 23
We tried to get in the bar this evening, a group of 7 for a friends birthday. All completely sober/tipsy at most.. and was refused for being a "big group". I am the type of person that completely appreciates if a big rowdy group that is intimidating gets refused, because everyone must feel safe and of course the security team must always feel in control.. However as a group of 30 year old women, that completely lacks any sense of intimidation, I felt really disappointed that we weren't allowed in. I politely asked the male bouncer that said if it was down to him, there'd be no problem allowing us in, as he understood my point- however it was the female in charge's call.Feel extremely disappointed, and completely discriminated against to be honest..VISHNU K
09:36 17 Jun 23
Club is alright but the bouncers are very much discriminating..they allow entry to you based on your ethnicity ..don't even give a reason if you ask..ignore this placeElisha Bayram
22:50 20 May 23
Used to come in here regularly on my own/with friends before l lockdown and came back tonight. First time post lockdown and since moving back to Manchester and was told "this is a regulars bar and I know regulars because I work the door every night" by the doorman... Pfft... Least "inclusive" place on Canal Street, had a cracking time literally everywhere else I went... Venue needs an ego check...Anna Johncock
08:18 08 May 23
An unfriendly heterophobic establishment. Downright refused entry for absolutely no reason - other than us not looking alternative enough...and PRESUMING none of the 5 of us were LGBTQ+. Inclusive this place is NOTMichael Weaver
17:43 22 Apr 23
I wish I could leave 0 (or negative) stars… I NEVER create Google reviews. So I hope that helps you understand just how disgusting, discriminatory, and criminally offensive my experience was at this “bar”.The bouncers and staff treat customers with no decency or respect. See below for more!I approached this bar with a limp due to my lifelong diagnosis of cerebral palsy. After allowing my friends entry, the bouncers denied me because I was “so drunk I could not walk properly”.I, no where near that level of drunk, tried explaining to the bouncers about my disability and the way it caused me to walk differently. The bouncers then proceeded to call me a liar and refused to listen to anything I had to say, removing me from the line. When I asked how I could present myself differently the next time I came around, they refused to answer my questions and aggressively turned me away.Once I realized how traumatizing this situation was… To try and ride above their pathetic level of humanity, I asked if I could donate to their charity (the cover to get into the bar). It was then easy to discover that this was a scam as NONE of the staff could even identify the purpose of the charity, and refused my attempt to donate to said charity.My friends, who had just spent £50 on 5 drinks at the bar, were forced to join me outside the club without being allowed to finish the unbelievably expensive drinks they had just purchased. Truly a robbery, this place should be investigated.They made me feel as if I had ruined my friends night out by being disabled.For being a club called GAY, I need to warn readers about the unbelievable amount of disrespect and mistreatment that is spewed from this club. One of the most poorly run and horribly staffed establishments that I have ever gone to. Please, I warn you, DO NOT SPEND YOUR MONEY HERE!! Instead, go to one of the lovely bars across the street. I cannot say enough bad things about this pathetic excuse of a progressive club.We need to do our part to shut this vile bar down and rid our community of these terrible staff members and the horrid treatment of humans that they propagate. I would be truly embarrassed and ashamed to operate or support this dumpster fire of a business.Such a painful experience and a shame to be subjected to such bigotry, discrimination, and hatred!Debbie Ward
11:15 17 Apr 23
What an absolute joke .My friends and I were in Manchester Canal Street Saturday evening 10 of us celebrating our friends Hen night 98%of us are lesbian here in the centre of Canal Streets infoumous Gay Bars ..we approached the G.A.Y. bar and before we stepped forward the door person announced "no Hen party's " WHAT I ask you say , my lesbian friends are getting married ,which we all now no is legal 😉 but on a Street in the heart of its gay village we can not celebrate this occasion with our friends ,charming .Very commercialised indeed to say the leastLauren McCormick
16:45 03 Mar 23
Absolutely loved my visit here. Was warmly welcomed by a lovely worker called Jake! Made me and my friends feel really comfortable and was able to give some great advice on their drinks offers, what’s going on, and even recommendations for places to go after!A really strong worker who truly went above and beyond. Will be returning and hope to meet Jake again!!Leighona Birch
21:01 13 Feb 23
it’s a shame i have to say this, but one of the bouncers on saturday night was beyond rude to me and a friend. we went outside to speak to said bouncer and as i walked out i took the last sip of my drink (i had never been to G-A-Y before so didn’t know we weren’t allowed them outside), so she snatched the cup out of my hand and threw it on the ground and told me ‘no drinks outside’ in a very blunt tone. then as my friend was trying to speak to her about the issue we wanted to talk to her about, she looked at me and my other friend and asked what we were doing outside we explained that we were also there to talk to her, to which she replied ‘yea no you’re not, only one person out at a time’ and proceeded to shoo us inside. was not very happy with the way i was treated at allDavid Ortega
23:46 25 Jan 23
For all those who travel alone. Really a bad experience. I travel alone, something like this has never happened to me... I went alone and when I tried to enter they told me that I can't come in alone! Should be 0 stars, so bad policy in this place, not worth it at all if you don’t want to ruin your night. I hope it helps to improve itNatalie Bennett
23:49 22 Jan 23
If I could have left a 0 I would have I thought it's meant to be accepting everybody yet myself and my partner have been turned away cause our faces didn't fit. Absolute joke of a place and the bouncers are shameful. I will make sure every body I know from every community avoid this placeRachel Crowther
12:02 11 Dec 22
When you're refused entry because of your age!We was a group of three and the bouncer was rude and refused us entry saying we was too old. Obviously it was a red rag to a bull but he thought it was funny and then decided to record us on his phone! Proper neanderthal.Found this discriminatory and will take it further.Nathan Blease
10:18 05 Nov 22
Bar tender short changed me be £5.50 - I want to say thank fully I noticed. But then he said I would have to speak with a manager - he agreed with the manager that he had over charged me but they couldn’t open the till to refund (funny how they can open it when I was paying) and the manager just said “ you will have to dispute it online” i asked his name and he refused - if someone from the clubs sees this he was working on the 5/11/22 approx 1am glasses - he needs training on the tills and basically they stole £5.50 from me. No it’s not a lot but that is not the point. If they do it to me how many others are they doing it too without them even noticing??? YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. And no I will not be going again. New staff and new bouncer would be a good start at that place.sofie skel
00:30 21 Oct 22
Wish I could give 0 stars. I’ve been coming to G.A.Y for years but tonight made me never want to give them my money again. Me and my friends got the the club and was about to show the bouncers our ID’s, they asked us where we’d been that night, thinking they were being friendly and making conversation we replied “Oh yes we’ve been to see Rina Sawayama!” they turned round and refused us entry and said that we’d ‘drank too much’ and weren’t allowed in. We all had one drink each at the concert and went back to our hotel room and got food afterwards before we headed to Canal Street, so were completely sober by this point. I’d have completely understood if we all staggered up to the club being loud and obnoxious butnone of us did anything wrong, we were all pretty calm and pleasant when we arrived. This is not the first time I’ve had a bad experience with the bouncers at this club, I feel as though they pick and choose who they let in to the club based on how they look and if they look ‘gay’ enough or not. This is disgusting behaviour for a place that is supposed to be accepting for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. Who are you to assume whether someone looks ‘queer’ enough to enter your club?! Well you will never get a penny of my money ever again and you will be losing out because I came here very often. Needs a total revamp and new bouncers!! Horrible place.Matthew Dickinson
10:35 13 Sep 22
Only ever had positive experiences of G-A-Y. One of the best qualities of this place is the safety everyone can feel from it.Whereas some clubs can feel like a 'meat market' of people trying to get with other people etc. etc., G-A-Y feels friendly, with everyone there to socialise, dance and sing.Bar staff are very friendly too, and seem like they genuinely want to be there (some nightclubs you can tell the bar staff just wanna be someplace else).My friends that are part of the LGBTQ+ community have said that if they had a choice of night out in Manchester they'd pick G-A-Y over most other places in gay village, let alone the other clubs elsewhere in the city.Bouncers are also very friendly and I've witnessed very little trouble between them and anyone else.Location-wise too, Canal St is fantastic. Wonderful community feel.Cheap drinks, good vibes, friendly staff, and solid safety. Definitely try this club!K B
23:31 23 Aug 22
ANOTHER BAD REVIEW!Arrogant little men who are on a power trip. Asked us to leave because my niece hugged her mum, accused her of being asleep. He literally stood watching us, very creepy. Suddenly he calls for back up. This is why G A Y is so empty ... door staff are rude and arrogant.I do not recommend but highly recommend The Union which is directly opposite, amazing friendly atmosphere, busy but not too busy, great drinks and the bouncers are friendly and professional!Matt Godly
00:33 19 Aug 22
First time visiting this place, everywhere else in Manchester was quite busy however, here was quite “dead” so to speak.The most lively area of the entire place was the smoking area balcony - I’m sure it’s not all bad given it’s reputation, but overall a bad experience on this occasion.Olivia Garbett
11:12 14 Aug 22
We were denied entry as the bouncer had assumed that we weren’t gay. He said you can not come in as you are not gay. He didn’t ask if we were gay so that shows the bouncer is stereotyping gay people, also discriminating against straight people. This place is absolutely disgusting- if this was reversed and two gay people walked into a bar and were denied entry because they were gay- there would be an uproar. We reported this incident as it ruined our night out from leeds to Manchester. Absolute joke. The bouncer also mentioned that we weren’t regulars anyway so even if we were gay we couldn’t go in.K B
10:28 06 Aug 22
ANOTHER BAD REVIEW!Arrogant little men who are on a power trip. Asked us to leave because my niece hugged her mum, accused her of being asleep. He literally stood watching us, very creepy. Suddenly he calls for back up. This is why G A Y is so empty ... staff are rude and arrogant.I do not recommend but highly recommend The Union which is directly opposite, amazing friendly atmosphere, busy but not too busy, great drinks and the bouncers are friendly and professional!humza118
02:32 14 Jul 22
Let every white person in except me and my friend on the claim that we were too drunk even though we don’t even drink. This was definitely because we were people of colour as there was no other reason for us to be deniedCasandra Fountain
23:06 01 May 22
Only can get in if you look gay enough. Which is unfortunate. Had a birthday party for my SIL and her wife and they said she was too drunk too be there. Though she had only two drinks while we ATE. She requested we go there because she heard good things. However we got to the line and they eyed her out of the line and said she was too drunk. Which mad absolutely no sense. We asked why they didn’t let us in and they said to get food and they would let us in. We had just had food. We went to Union instead and in the line I overheard another couple speaking about how they also didn’t get in. I asked what happened. They said it was because they didn’t look gay enough. However they were married. Like my SIL and her wife. Hopefully they will be more inclusive in the future. But, six guaranteed customers will NOT be spending their money there.maheera m
01:06 17 Apr 22
Bartender cheekily added a 2 pound tip, and I tapped my card without noticing until the transaction was completed. I did not consent to this and being conflict averse ignored it. Went to a different bartender next time. Please be careful and read carefully before tapping your cards! This was very sneaky behaviourScott Menzies
08:30 12 Apr 22
Feeling blue on a Wednesday night and enjoying the solace of the smoking terrace. A £2.50 drink is a rare find in this thriving city, but G-A-Y has me covered. Shame there are only four people in the building. Good things will come as the night continues.S
21:33 15 Mar 22
First time I went, the person at the door didn't let me in because my "ID looked fake" which is weird because I had just come out of a different bar and came into this one with some other girls I had just met (they wanted to dance so I joined them or well tried to)Second time it was okay, had a great time with my gf. Everyone super friendly.and third time it was good as well. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the place but the people that go party here are friendly... If that counts for something... lolCurtis Whitty
23:33 14 Mar 22
Pathetic place! Turned away for being to drunk when we had only just come out😂 door staff where rude & up their own ***** avoid at all costs 😂 biggest joke in the villageLillie Cooke
22:53 13 Mar 22
I expected a lot more from a place confidently branded G-A-Y in the Gay Village. Only 1 level to dance on, another smaller level to chill with a seat or two, and then the smoking hut upstairs.Bouncers pat you down upon entry, sometimes expected but unnecessarily searched my girlfriends bag. Bar staff were brilliant, very friendly, a woman with dreadlocks kept us entertained all night and lived off our vape 😂 toilets were unisex which is brill, but there was a strict woman up there that wouldn't let me accompany my hammered friend to hold her hair back in a cubicle (I get why they need to watch out, but c'mon). Overall, I was underwhelmed, but still had a brill night out. They also had screens with a twitter to get a message on screen but mine never did 🤷🏻♀️Daniel Marshall
21:20 14 Feb 22
Doorman very rude. After a nice meal out for my birthday we thought we would call in for a quick drink before heading home. We were greeted with questions about where we have been, which i got defensive and asked why is that any of your business. I could understand if i rolled up drunk and a mess, but was made to feel like we werent the punters that they wanted, which considering there were 4 people inside i didn't think our business could be sniffed at, but yet again a let down in the place we should feel the most comfortableEsme Moran
02:24 28 Jan 22
i fell down the stairs down from the smoking area and all of the staff, especially the manager Ross was absolutely amazing, helping me out and getting me what i needed, Ross even helped me to my uber with the bouncer Jordan which was very nice, even though i was in a lot of pain they lifted my mood and made what was a pretty painful experience, as good as it could beAshish Gehani
04:52 01 Jan 22
This place is prime example of Racism and discrimination still exists.We have been denied entry saying our covid passport is in circulation while we didn't share it with anyone. Just the same excuse they providing for every people of colour.Ginny Wai
21:35 23 Dec 21
The vibe was good, I like their music.If you are wearing heels 👠, please be careful of the super wet slippy floor and occasionally being stepped on.The drink was ok, I ordered gin and tonic. honestly it was purely tonic and can’t taste any gin. Also the average age in GAY is slightly younger, I would say 18-25…Ellie Taylor
01:50 19 Dec 21
I read the reviews before coming here and if you do please don’t dismiss it! The bouncers are vile, approached us randomly for “looking like we had too much to drink” we were manhandled by every staff in there covered in bruises head to toe thrown down the stairs for defending ourselves. Stay as far away as possible it’s really not worth it. I’ll never return to Manchester again, the staff treat you like your absolutely nothing.John
09:42 05 Nov 21
This was an ok place. The bouncers weren’t particularly friendly, as they asked to pat us down when went in, and didn’t say goodnight when we’d said that to them on our way out. I’ll admit we were nervous going in here after previous stories and rumours of bouncers being aggressive and not inclusiveand I only reluctantly went in. I half expected some kind of confrontation. That being said, they weren’t immediately rude to us as such.The place has a nice vibe inside, and it’s well decorated. It’s not an enormous place and the one in London is better. They offer £2.50 singles, but it didn’t taste like a vodka coke with a full shot. It wasn’t too busy when we went.Tom E.
20:43 02 Feb 18
I've been here before and generally find the staff to be very pompous. Tonight, I went to meet my friends in there and one of the doormen asked me a...Michael F.
03:08 10 May 17
G.A.Y. is not my cup of tea. I do not like to get drunk, but if I'm working with a happy crew, we usually end up here. It attracts the younger crowd. The...Mr Mrs H.
03:33 31 Dec 15
My wife & myself was denied access to G-A-Y club last night due to us being heterosexual which in the door supervisors own words is door policy & we was...Shaun P.
14:01 03 Apr 15
A clean and funky bar. Plays great pop/chart music with associated videos in the screens. An outside terrace where the smokers hang out mainly but a great...
G-A-Y Manchester reviews from Google Maps, Yelp and WhereIsGay
Map
Today Closed UTC0
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Monday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Thursday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Friday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Saturday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM
-
Sunday
12:00 PM - 04:00 AM