Gay Friendly Pubs & Clubs in Vilnius
Reviews about Gay Friendly Pubs & Clubs in Vilnius
I visited this club last year and first of all, I understand that the Baltics are far from a gay paradise, but it's the obvious dishonest targeting of the 'pink euro' and the 'pink rouble' that was so disappointing :( The comments below about this being a homophobic 'gay' bar are sadly correct. There seems to be so little recognition of LGBT that the locals will even feel 'safe' going to a place covered in dick art because there's no way it would actually be full of gays right? it's frustrating to hear the bs about 'not many gays in Lithuania' and then come to a place like this that seems to confirm it. I don't know where the local LGBT are but they're not here! (proof of their existence require nothing more than a smart phone, whereupon the gay-app of your choice goes in meltdown) I didn't go to Soho so I can't vouch for it, but the entrance fee at Men's Factory (can't remember if I paid euros or litas) was 40 and simply a rip off. I was aware when I was in the Baltics of being sensitive to the locals and not pushing people who are simply never going to change their mind, especially when I'm a foreigner, but it's downright dishonest to market yourself as 'gay friendly' simply because you know 'the west has gays' and you know they must be in town, but not give anything like a gay experience.
I visited Men's Factory in September of 2014. I agree with some of the other reviewers. I was going to the club expecting to find wall-to-wall gay men since it was called Men's Factory. I wouldn't care if the men were older. I was told at the door (or cage) that it was a "Swinger's night" so I knew slightly what to expect. They did quote a really outrageous entry price (50 EUR) the night I went, but you would gain comp entry if you stripped all of your clothes naked before you went inside. I was cheap, so I did that. The venue is actually really well planned and has a sizable dance floor, a cavernous underground labrythnth of mazes and it was well-themed and modern-looking throughout. I really liked the sauna/pool club area it was very sleek-looking, something that I do not see at the bathhouses in the U.S. The biggest downside was the lack of gay men, I am openly gay and I was wearing thong-looking underwear to attract attention. There was homoeroticism in the air by the male dancers and clientele that wore tight jeans and some shirtless or no clothes at all, but it was quickly killed by the fact that when you try to approach any men they were mostly all stand-offish and homophobic. Some guys were staring at me, but it seemed they were more staring because I was a black guy and I was exotic more so than them wanting to have sex with me. I did get lucky with a Belarusian who was gay and tagged along with his lesbian/bi friend, and we had a hot time in a dark area under the stairs, and there was one or 2 other gay Lithuanian men there who were interested in me, but for the most part the night was flat. Since I was a tourist and was craving a new experience it was actually okay and I would go again if I knew it were more gay. But it is ultra-weird to see homoerotic theme displayed everywhere and the crowd being guys and girls having sex, men buying escort girls, and men ignoring you.
I've visited Vilnius twice - 4 years and 3 years ago and visited two gay clubs, Soho and Mens Factory. Suffice to say that, when 4 years ago I went into MF, there was a guy wearing a T shirt with the slogan "vxxxxa lover" - so I kept clear of him. When I went back a year later, the club had declined further. However my Lithuanian host recommended the Soho club. Straight away (if I can be permitted to use this sort of language), it was clear Soho was, and is, the true gay club in Vilnius, not MF. This is attested to by the display of pro-LGBT literature in Soho - which would not cause any surprise in the UK but is still noteworthy in LT which is still - in the main - a very hetero-normative country. Soho is also tolerant of str8 people but the door staff might ask people if they're aware they're entering a gay venue. Anyway, the two clubs are about 300m apart and Soho Club is free to get into before 11pm so I would suggest going to Soho first. MF is not free at any time, and also the price of drinks is shocking. Anyone who is LGBT would do well to go to Soho rather than MF, in my opinion.
Opening hours : Monday Closed Tuesday Closed Wednesday Closed Thursday Closed Friday Closed Saturday Closed Sunday 20.00 - 01.00 ...right.
Men's factory is not a gay club at all. The owner is gay, but that is not enought. This place is notorious for drugs and homophobic attacs. There is only one gay club in Vilnius. It is called Soho.
I do support the French Citizen's review. 40LTL is expensive, especially for an ex-communist country like Lithuania. And the non-gayness spirit of a "gay club" is really boring. The malicious retort of Vilnius Citizen is so unfair and racist that I decide not to go to this "fantastic" club even I'd prepared to in this August.
pathetic. Vilnius provides its gay visitors with two clubs. Unfortunately, each of the two gathers the audience of teenage girls, gayness indicator would be around 0. Men's factory is a gay club only if a 'gay club' is constituted by penis-alike sculptures as a decoration.