Woody’s has anchored the corner of 13th and Chancellor for decades and is long described as Philadelphia’s oldest gay bar. The crowd today is broader than it once was, and on a busy weekend it reads as much like a general Center City nightclub as a gay bar, but it still runs LGBT+ programming and remains the default first stop for most visitors working out where to go in the Gayborhood.
The space. Woody’s spreads across multiple levels. The ground floor holds the main bar, with the neon-lit Glo Bar cocktail lounge opening off it as a quieter room. Upstairs is a full dance floor with a DJ booth and disco ball, which is where the weekend energy concentrates. The multi-room layout means the building can absorb a large crowd without any single room feeling impossible.
What to expect. Weeknights skew local and relaxed. Weekends bring the biggest and most mixed crowd in the neighborhood, including a steady flow of bachelorette parties, which is part of why longtime regulars say the room has changed. If you want a more specifically gay crowd, Tavern on Camac or Bike Stop will suit you better. If you want the biggest room and the most people, this is it.
Getting there. 13th Street between Chancellor and Walnut, in the heart of the Gayborhood. Walk from Walnut-Locust on the Broad Street Line or 13th Street on the Market-Frankford Line. U Bar, 254 and Voyeur are all within three blocks, which makes this an easy anchor for a night that moves.
Is Woody’s still a gay bar? It remains an LGBT+ venue and hosts gay programming, but the crowd has broadened considerably and on peak weekend nights the room is heavily mixed.
What’s on at Woody’s? Upcoming events at this venue are listed below, pulled live from the PGC calendar.
