El Paso is a hidden queer gem of the Southwest, with a vibrant drag scene and a rich history of queer communities of color. The city council has reaffirmed its support of the queer community over and over. Get some Mexican food, see a show, and meet a cowboy or two. We’ve curated the best of local queer to-dos so you can make the most out of your Pride season.
STAY
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325 N. Kansas Street | El Paso, TX | 79901
(915) 532-5200
Just a quick cowboy-boot-wearing jaunt from the gay bar block, Hotel Indigo El Paso Downtown has some of the best Pride programming the city has to offer. With a DJ-ed Sungaze Pool Party and a Drag Brunch, enjoy a cabana and stick around the hotel lobby to find a new friend. Don’t forget, after the Pride parade, they throw a closing party with exclusive pool and bar access.
EAT
Shadow Mountain Shopping Center | 255 Shadow Mountain Dr. | El Paso, TX | 79912
(915) 581-2441
First things first: brunch. Eloise offers a casual, fine dining experience with an ever-changing menu and cute interiors to boot. Plus, something called a “Breakfast Happy Hour.” Um, we didn’t know happy hours come in breakfast, but we are not complaining.
SEE
11395 James Watt Dr. | El Paso, TX | 79936
The newest, upscale addition to the gay bar scene seems to be the center of El Paso’s queer culture even though it’s far off the strip. They bring in some incredibly talented queens and Ru Girls to perform, and promise a great night every time.
GO
Briar and The El Paso Gay Bar Strip
508 N Stanton St. | El Paso, TX | 79901
“This block changed my life,” says one El Paso local who talks about the bars along the queer strip of El Paso, Texas. The adventure starts with Briar at Hyde (an airy, high-energy patio bar), and circling around to happy hour at the Tool Box, 8 ½ a fast-service cocktail bar, The Speak Easy, Craft and Social (with some vegan options!), and lastly Chiquita’s, the danciest, and possibly most talked-about.
DO
One Arts Festival Plaza | El Paso, TX | 79901
(915) 212-0300
From over 200 submissions, jurors and curators have pulled together this talented list of thirty artists or collectives that represent the thriving, budding arts scene of El Paso. Each with a deeply intersectional body of Mexican-American work, this exhibit is not one to miss.
The businesses listed are independent of Hotel Indigo and no endorsement or affiliation is intended or implied.
