Part of the Gay Oakland Guide — bars, events & things to do.
Oakland, California
North Oakland institution with drag shows and pool tables, open since the 1930s
The White Horse is one of the oldest continuously operating gay bars in the United States, pouring on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland since 1933. For much of its early life it ran quietly as a mixed, discreet bar that — unusually for the era — police left alone, and it has carried that long history into the present as a working neighborhood institution rather than a museum piece. Today it's a friendly, unpretentious bar with a dance floor, drag and DJ nights, and a crowd that spans generations and the whole queer spectrum. The rainbow crosswalks painted across Telegraph in 2018 mark how central the place still is to East Bay LGBTQ+ life. Worth a stop for the history alone, but it earns its regulars on its own terms.
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