Woody's on Church is a

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

located at 467 Church Street at the

gay village A gay village, also known as a gayborhood or gaybourhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay vil ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada."Woody's celebrates openly". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'', July 17, 2004.

Summary

The bar was established in June 1989, and has since become a landmark within the Church and Wellesley village and a popular destination for LGBT tourists visiting the city. Woody's operates with an adjacent bar known as Sailor. Woody's and Sailor appear to be separate establishments from the outside, but are connected inside. Woody's and Sailor are located at 465–467 Church St. Toronto, ON. Woody's hosts several "best" competitions, including "best chest" and "best ass", on various nights. These competitions are judged on popularity, with the contestant receiving the most applause crowned the winner. The top positions receive cash prizes and passes to local gay establishments, including dance clubs and bathhouses. The bar is also one of Toronto's primary venues for

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

shows.

Depictions in pop culture

The North American version of the television show ''

Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * Queer as Folk (British TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * Queer as Folk (American TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of th ...

'' featured the bar as its main queer hangout. Filmed in Toronto, the series was set in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and the show would often film on the street outside the bar. Indoor scenes were shot on location in the first season, but a soundstage was later built. In a fourth-season episode of the series in which several of the characters travelled to Toronto, Woody's appeared both as Pittsburgh's "Woody's" and a fictional Toronto bar called "Moosie's". Woody's was also the highlight of a skit on ''

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the second installment of the ''Late Night (franchise), Late Night'' franchise originally established by David Letterman. Hosted by Conan O'Brie ...

'', and portions of the 2020 film '' Jump, Darling'' take place in a thinly veiled parody of Woody's called "Peckers".Allan Hunter
"‘Jump, Darling’: Flare Review"
''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'', March 17, 2021.

References

External links

Official Site
1989 establishments in Ontario LGBTQ culture in Toronto Nightclubs in Toronto LGBTQ drinking establishments in Canada {{Toronto-stub