Best Queer gathering spot

1. Old Nick’s Pub, 211 Washington St. 541-844-1280. OldNicksPub.com.

2. Cowfish Cafe and Lounge, 62 W. Broadway. 541-683-6319. Facebook.com/cowfish.danceclub.

3. Blairally, 245 Blair Blvd. 541-683-1721. Blairally.com.

Stepping into Old Nick’s Pub is akin to entering another world. From the gargoyles to the Victorian chandeliers, the Medieval tavern-themed eats to the brews, Old Nick’s welcomes adventurers of all sexualities, genders and spectrums.

It’s no wonder the community voted Old Nick’s as the best queer gathering spot in Eugene.

“There’s a natural crossover with the queer community and fantasy,” says owner and operator Emily Chappell. “There have been decades, the entire existence of the United States, where queer people weren’t allowed to be married, weren’t allowed to be openly queer, weren’t allowed to be themselves. There’s a lot of fantasy that was indulged in, just being part of a kinder world.”

Of course, you can’t forget the Victorian Gothic elements of Old Nick’s, either. “The Goths and the gays have been besties pretty much since the ’80s,” Chappell says.

The “queer pagan nerd bar,” Chappell calls it, wasn’t originally intended to be a queer bar. Instead, the focus was on being a live music venue, and it opened its doors in April 2015 with a slightly more British pub vibe than it has today. Unfortunately, this appealed to a group of Hammerskins, Chappell says, and she had to kick them out of the venue.

“It sort of set us up with the white supremacist community targeting us, because here was a live music venue with a European theme, something that they would want to hold on to, and they were being told they’re not welcome and this isn’t their space,” she says. “So we started to get targeted by them, and I just was like, without putting it delicately, ‘Fuck you guys.’”

From then on, Chappell has strived to make Old Nick’s an out-and-proud safe space. “I kind of naively thought that that would be an assumption, because that’s just what it should be,” she says. “We ended up having to stand up for our queer community a lot.”

Outside of being an ever-safe space, Old Nick’s hosts LGBTQ+ events on a weekly basis, from drag bingo and karaoke to Chub, the body positive dance party, and Queer Country Night. There’s always a way to be loud and proud at the pub.The pub will be closed for the first few days of the new year as it undergoes some renovations, but it will open up better than ever on Jan. 10, 2025, with a new name: Sparrow and Serpent. — Emma J Nelson

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!