Part of the Gay New Orleans Guide — bars, events & things to do.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Lower Quarter dive since 1964, home of the Southern Decadence kickoff.
The Golden Lantern is a lower French Quarter institution at 1239 Royal Street, open since 1964 and one of the oldest gay bars in New Orleans. It's a dark, narrow, no-frills room with strong pours and weekend drag—the kind of locals' corner that runs quiet most of the year. Its claim to fame is real, though: the Lantern is the original home of Southern Decadence and the traditional starting point of the festival's Grand Marshal parade each Labor Day. That history turns one sleepy Royal Street barroom into ground zero for one of the biggest weekends on the national gay calendar. The rest of the year it's a neighborhood bar with a loyal following and its own running jokes—ask about the 'Lantern Trash' bloody mary served in a go-cup. Worth the few blocks' walk from the Bourbon Street strip for anyone who wants the older, lived-in version of gay New Orleans.
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