Gay Vancouver’s Davie Village
Davie Village (also Davie District or simply Davie Street) is a gay village or “gaybourhood” in the West End of Vancouver, British Columbia. It is the home of the city’s gay subculture and is centred around Davie Street and roughly includes the area between Burrard and Jervis Streets.
Davie Village banners on Davie Street lampost. The sun banner was designed by artist Joe Average. Along Davie Street are a variety of shops, restaurants, services, and hotels catering to a variety of customers, as well as private residences. Davie Village is also home to the offices of Xtra! West, a biweekly LGBT newspaper. The Centre (formerly the Gay and Lesbian Centre) is located just off Davie Street on Bute. It provides a variety of services for the city’s gay, lesbian, transgendered, and bisexual residents. The business with the most notoriety is Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium (”Little Sister’s”), a gay and lesbian bookstore, because of its ongoing legal battles with Canada Customs that has received extensive national media coverage.
The Davie Street Business Improvement Association coined the name “Davie Village” in 1999 and also commissioned banners from local artist Joe Average, which fly from lampposts along the street. The two-sided banners depict a rainbow flag on one side and a sun design by Average on the other. Many businesses and residents along Davie and in the West End generally also fly rainbow flags as a symbol of gay pride, and many of the covered bus stop benches and trash cans along Davie Street are painted bright pink.
The Village hosts a variety of events during the year, including the Davie Street Festival which runs in conjunction with Vancouver’s annual Gay Pride Parade, during which sections of the street are closed to motor traffic. Davie Day is also held each year in early September, to celebrate local businesses and the community itself. This Day is designed to build awareness and promote the surrounding businesses, and is focused around Jervis to Burrard Street.
Davie Street - and, by extension, the Village - is named in honour of A.E.B. Davie, eighth Premier of British Columbia from 1887 to 1889.
Nestled between the the Pacific Ocean and the mountains, Vancouver is a vibrant city of majestic sights, interesting sounds, and a kaleidoscope of faces. Located in lovely British Columbia on Canada’s west coast, Vancouver is home to two of Canada’s most active gay communites. The first of these is Davie Village, where visitors will find a myriad of gay-friendly bars, accommodations, and a thriving nightlife. Davie Village is also a short distance away from many of city’s tourist attractions, such as the breathtaking Stanley Park. Vancouver’s other gay-friendly community, Commericial Drive (known locally as “The Drive,” is the hub of the city’s lesbian community. The Drive is located in the city’s east end, and features a variety of affordable ethnic dining options, cozy Bed and Breakfasts, and unique shopping opportunities.
For those looking for a vacation spot where activities range from surf to skiing, look no further: Give Vancouver a try.
It’s not like anywhere else in North America. Some say it’s like San Francisco, only cleaner and cheaper. Some say it’s like Seattle, only gayer and with better weather. Regardless of what people liken it to, Vancouver is consistently chosen as one of the top ten best cities in the world by Conde Nast readers. And how can we argue? Nestled between the spectacular, glacier-clad Coastal Mountains and the clear blue waters of Puget Sound (with the distant snow-caps of Vancouver Island always visible beyond), there simply isn’t a more beautiful setting for a major city. (Seattle is close, but since it sits in the shadow of a major volcano, we dock several Princess Points from it. Gays and Lava do not mix.) Vancouver has one of the most temperate climates of any city in North America. It rarely gets above 70 in the summer, and rarely dips below 40 in the winter. Combine this with the wealth from a bustling trade with Asia (Vancouver is the largest port city on the west coast of the Americas), and you’ve got a city exploding with cultural diversity, a hotbed of tourism, and a prolific gay community. Vancouver is a very youthful city, with more than half of its residents in their 20s. Because of its location, amid thousands of square miles of wilderness, outdoor activities rule supreme. An hour’s drive up into the mountains is Whistler Blackcomb, consistently ranked the best ski resort in the world. Across the Sound is Vancouver Island, rich with hiking, kayaking, and climbing opportunities, and unique for its botany and wildlife which somehow escaped the last Ice Age. On the island is Victoria, the regal British colonial city that is world-famous for its magnificent Butchart Gardens. But back in Vancouver there are so many things to do, you’ll be lucky to escape the city at all. Stanley Park sprawls between downtown and the water, with plenty of hiking, biking, and roller-blading paths, beaches, gardens, and some of the oldest and largest trees in Canada. The Vancouver Aquarium is also here. Museums abound, like the Pacific Space Centre, Science World, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Museum of Anthropology. Granville Island sits underneath the Granville Street Bridge on False Creek. It used to be an industrial dump. Now it’s a busy area of shops and galleries, a public market, and a popular gathering place for street performers. Grouse Mountain is one of Vancouver’s top sights: an aerial tram to the top of a mountain which affords a jaw-dropping view of the city. It’s one of those “don’t come here unless you plan to do it” kind of things, especially wonderful at sunset. The city is divided into districts, several of which are delightful for strolling. Chinatown is North America’s second largest (just barely smaller than San Francisco’s). Gastown’s historic buildings and cobbled streets hide world-class shopping and clubbing venues. Getting around in downtown can be harrowing. There are no expressways, so all traffic must deal with stoplights every block. There’s no subway here, but a dense network of buses covers the greater metropolitan area. However, in downtown, it’s easy enough to get around on foot. We’ve found it’s a great idea to rent bicycles to navigate the city, and lots of people seem to agree with us. Vancouver’s gay district is in the West End. It’s called Davie Village or Davie Town, and it’s spread along Davie Street, all the way from Burrard down to the water at Denman. Here you’ll find almost all the gay bars and tons of restaurants and shops. In summer, the gay boys flock to Wreck Beach on the grounds of the University of BC. It’s the largest clothing-optional beach in North America. (Nude beach on a college campus. Need we say more?) The gay end is far to the left, when facing the water.
The Davie Village Central is located in the heart of the Davie Village. Located just blocks to English Bay, Stanley Park, Denman Street Granville Street, and Robson Street. Granville Street is known as the entertainment district home to over 20 bars and night clubs in a five block stretch, while Robson street is the shopping district home to all the name brand stores and touted as the most expensive street for leasing in Canada. English Bay, Stanley Park and Denman Street is Vancouver?s playground, the beaches and festivals attract millions of tourists every year.
The Davie Village stretches 4 blocks and is predominantly the gay area, a world of its own, attracting tourist from all over the world. With the streets lined with rainbow flags, a street party stretching its entire length in August, and Vancouver?s Pride Parade during the August long weekend, makes the Davie Village a truly vibrant community. This combined with a grocery store (Super Value), a drug store (Shoppers Drug Mart), Money Mart, Macs, Hamburger Marys, Blenz, Denny’s, all open 24 hours a day, fed by a population in the surrounding area that is as dense as Manhattan, the hustle & bustle in this 3 blocks never stops.
The Davie Village Central is located in the middle of the 4 blocks on the sunny side of the street, beside Shoppers Drug mart and across the street from the 260 room Sandman Executive Suites Hotel. The Airporter bus and a line up of taxis parked across the street are convenient for everyone in the Davie Village. Next to the DVC is pay parking for 60 cars, as well parking is available on the street and in the hotel. Moxies is always fun, right across the street, beside Priape our favorite leather store. 1 block east is the famous nightclub Numbers, this year having its 28th anniversary. The owner of this great dance pub has played a huge role in keeping our gay community alive and is to be commended for his efforts. The Fountainhead Pub and Celebrities Cabaret are across the street and next door to Numbers. Head north up Davie 1 block and there is Little Sisters Book Store a must see and Score a great sports bar as well as Hamburger Mary’s. Just down the street kiddy corner is The Oasis Lounge, it has a great covered heated patio fabulous food and live entertainment most every night, personally I love their patio and martinis. Just out of the Village 3 blocks is the Odessey Dance Club with drag shows and events nightly this is allways a fun place to party….make sure you check out Shower Power, or feather Boa..
At the Davie Village Central you can stop in anytime and we would be glad to point you into the right direction for anything you need!!!!
We are a community restaurant, bar, barber, party place. we pride ourselves in our casual freindly approach, great food affordable drinks and act as embasadors for our community our parties are always on the edge and alot of fun.
