Boise - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Boise is the largest city in Idaho, home to roughly a quarter of a million people, but visitors should not expect the kind of queer infrastructure found in the big cities on the West Coast. There is no gay neighborhood, and only a handful of places cater specifically to an LGBTQ+ crowd.

The main address is The Balcony Club on 8th Street in Downtown Boise. The club sits on the upper floor of a commercial building on 8th Street, one of the busiest streets downtown, surrounded by restaurants, bars and shops. It describes itself as the only queer nightclub in the city. Its stage hosts drag shows with both queens and kings, burlesque, comedy and aerial performances, and the club runs its own drag competition to find new local talent as well as a contest for showpeople. The house motto is simply to come as you are.

Beyond that, Boise has a number of bars, cafés and restaurants known for being welcoming to queer guests without being gay venues as such.

The nonprofit behind the Boise Pride Festival is a good first point of contact. Besides the festival itself, held in September in Ann Morrison Park, it organizes events throughout the year and keeps a list of LGBTQ+ support resources for the region on its website. For newcomers and visitors alike, its event listings are often the quickest way to find out what is happening in town.