The Queen’s Head

The Queen's Head is an Amsterdam institution, an iconic gay bar on the Zeedijk that opened in 1998 when John Dijkmeijer took over a struggling lounge bar so his partner Willem de Wit could perform drag under the stage name Dusty, a basement space with French doors and a canal view that's been drawing devoted regulars ever since. Decades on, drag remains at its heart: legendary Drag Queen Bingo every Tuesday, packed with outrageous prizes and big laughs, "Thursdays Are a Drag" bringing the city's fiercest queens to the stage for lip-syncs and sass, a monthly Queer Pub Quiz mixing camp trivia with queer history, and Karaoke NICHT hosted by drag queens every other Friday. Warm, welcoming, and unapologetically full of life, with friendly staff, good DJs, and drinks at fair Amsterdam prices, it's rightly considered one of the last genuine gay bars left on a street that's otherwise turned touristy, and a beloved stop on any Amsterdam night out.