Rainbow Cactus

After leaving a birthday dinner for my sister we came to the Cactus for drinks and the Drag Queen Show. The show was phenomenal! Performers were spot on beautiful and bodies tight. we enjoyed many drinks «Trash cans and Cosmos all night“Our night was one to remember. We will be coming back to enjoy the Shows, music and drinks!

Something about this place that sets it apart from other LGBT clubs in the area is that the main focus isn’t getting drunk and acting a complete fool, but rather just enjoying yourself and having a good time. Whether that be by shaking ya grove thing in the middle of the dancefloor to the great selection of songs from the DJ, having a walk off to the sounds of RuPaul and Madonna in the middle of the same dancefloor, or watching and tipping the fabulous drag performers. Y’all watchout for Mercedes Douglass, Jasmine Seville, and Sparkles McRay. They all put on an excellent show in my opinion.
I also like that every so often they host girls from the popular show «RuPaul’s Drag Race.» The cactus really provides excellent opportuities for fans to get up close and personal with celebrities from the LGBT community.
The bar here is nothing special and pretty standard. Pretty much what you can find at any standard bar or resturant, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are. (Refer to my comment about the focus of the club.)
All in all, this is the best LGBT club in Hampton Roads, so if you like to get out and have a good time every once in a while like me, this is the place for you. So put on your fiercest outfit and walk for me, walk for me, walk for me, walk for me, SERVE!

I was visiting family in VA beach and dragged them to this local gay bar. I want to say the bar it’s self is not bad! It’s kind of divey, and dirty but all in all it’s pretty fun. The bar tenders are so friendly and pour with a stiff hand. The music is okay, the queens can put on a show and the dance floor is a blast. This place even serves food, and I think all night! There is an ATM and a smoking room (which is weird coming from NY). I even met a few nice people there with whom I was able to share conversation. We came here 2 nights, and we all had a pretty decent time. There is a 5 dollar cover, so have some cash to get in, or pay the ATM fees.
My issue here is not with the bar it’s self but with the security. They are the biggest group of pompous jerks I have ever seen. The first we were they acted more childish then the drunk patrons. They close at 2:00 and not a second later. I’m sure there are laws that differ from New York but they will literally grab the drink out of your hand at 1:58 AM. Ok fine. As they were closing, mind you the bar is still full of people we were standing by the door waiting for our Über that is until I was forcefully removed. I was not drunk, nor did I even have any communication with this lady bouncer until she grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and shoved me backward out of the door. Even the male bouncer standing by the door looked at her and said «woah». There is no reason for her to lay her hands on me. If we were arguing or if I wouldn’t leave or if I was being disorderly I would totally understand, but I was not I was literally standing waiting for my ride. All she had to say is «can you please stand outside?». I would have gladly obliged. I found this to be totally unprofessional and illegal (at least in NY). We then stood outside the bar and watched the security tackle and beat a customer. In their defense I’m not sure what ensued before hand, but once they had him on the ground, there is no need to continue to hit him. I held a NYS Security license for 6 years and found these folks be be totally out of line. They act like they want to cause trouble by treating people so badly.
The second day returning here we made sure to leave 30 mins early to avoid danger. It’s really a shame because this place is actually fun. Also, don’t take your drink on the dance floor because they will threaten to kick you out. I have never heard of such an outrageous rule. They have glass cups. Switch to plastic. I’m sorry I just don’t feel comfortable leaving my drink unattended in a gay dive bar.
Needles to say if I do come back to VA I will probably not return, but unfortunately there are not many gay bars in the area…

I get a really big «lady hard on» for Drag Queens. I wear their make-​up (cue my shameless plugging of Ben Nye products), I envy their hair and their ability to walk in heels better than me (like a Budweiser Clydesdale, I swear), their acumen and wit, everything. If you’re a drag queen, you can basically get me pregnant and have a free pass on child support.
If you know me, you know that I love RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race. If you’ve even heard of RuPaul, get ready for me to talk about RuPaul all night. Before I went to Rainbow Cactus, the only way that I knew to see a drag queen was to either go to The Ambush (which is really so-​so for me) or go on one of those Drag Me to Seas cruises that my mom and I say every other week that we’re going to go on.
Let me tell you, I got this new night job (not stripping). And every couple of shifts, my job calls for me to go to Rainbow Cactus. The first time that I went to Rainbow, my jaw dropped so hard that the floor reverberated. DRAG QUEENS. Real ones. Good ones. Lip-​syncing queens, comedy queens, beauty queens, pretty queens … The type of queens that I’d buy shots for just for five-​minutes of make-​up advice.
Now, every time that it’s on my route. I orgasmically tingle with excitement for the queens. But really, not just the queens, for the fun and the dancing and the whole shabang.
No bar, with the exception of The Banque, has ever made me smile or giggle this much. The clientele here is fun, all ages, personable, and regular. The people that come here are genuinely happy to be at Rainbow. The people that work here evidently love their jobs. The owner is present, at the bar every night, and will never need to call John Taffer for a rescue. This is an all-​around good bar.
I’ve had the opportunity to come here off-​shift a few times now and (when I’m off) they make a damn good whiskey/​coke splash. My only wish is that they had Gentleman Jack or Macallan, but Maker’s Mark or Wild Turkey 101 are alright with me. Kathy, the bartender, is the tits. Warm, friendly, memorable.
Okay, enough gushing. Grab your purse, heels, and cash –and go spend all of it at Rainbow Cactus.

Came here for the first time
and it was awesome
The atmosphere is great
The show was extremely entertaining

Went on Friday night last minute with a friend. Our original plans were cut short by a member of our prior-​party peaking too soon. Not ready to call it a night — we opted to check out the local gay scene. Luckily, it was the 3^rd of July & there was a great holiday energy to the space. This venue would probably be a lot less energized and satisfying on a normal night. We arrived at 1130 & waited about 3 minutes in line. $ 5 cover. Walked in to a pretty standard drag show. Is it me or are the majority of drag performers super lazy and uninteresting? They bring it with the look but the performances are dullsville. Grabbing dollar$ out of hands and barely singing doesn’t keep me engaged for very long. We went to the back bar, got some drinks, and waited the drag show out. Once it was over — the whole club transformed and a good blurry sweat soaked time was had! Staff was nice. Security helped secure a cab on our way out. Would go back if I lived in the area.

I have been sitting on this review for a month. Trying to find the appropriate way to convey to you my experience here. Also I have been trying to find a way to not make it seem that I am being accusatory. I will start from the beginning.
As you can see, I am from out of town and arrived here with my friends. Upon entering I proceeded to the ATM in order to get money to order some drinks. I walk over to the bar and order a margarita on the rocks, no salt. After that, that’s where things get fuzzy. I mean on the verge of being scary fuzzy. After a few sips of this margarita, I only remember glimpses of the night. I’m not sure what happened, how it happened, or why it happened, but it is really hard to blackout for a majority of the night after just one drink.
The things that I do remember seem ok. I remember the circular dancefloor and talking to a few people while I attempted my best dance moves. I remember the small smoking area. I remember my now missing coat. The last thing I remember is being outside smoking a cigarette. The next thing I remember is being about a half mile away, soaked and covered in mud.
I guess the moral of this story is, drink responsibly and around people you are familiar with.

Is it just me, or does it smell like estrogen up in here? Like you can physically smell it. But for real drinks are a bit weak for my alcoholic taste. But matt the bartender is pretty dope. Then there’s toilets dudes and stuff. Don’t take this as an invitation to take your shirt off however. It gets real.

Was in there at like 8pm on a saturday with a buddy, just a few people in there. Cool atmosphere even if youre not a gay. Id have no problem coming back here.

Friendly staff but the owner is a bit of a hard ass.
Cannot smoke anything BUT regular cigarettes (ie. No e-​vapes, e-​cigs, cloves, etc) inside the smoke area which is a bummer.
Pricey on the food and the drinks. Not many places to sit and chill. More of a stand up and dance bar.

Of all of the «gay» bars in the area, this one is the largest and least trashy. There’s two separate sections. One side is the smoking, line dancing side. The main floor being the non-​smoking area (although to be honest, you will still come out of here smelling like smoke). They have special stuff going on depending on which day you happen to stop by. Perhaps the best night would have to be Fridays Drag show night! Grab your friends and watch as a handful of different Queens lip-​sync for their dolla’ bills. They also do a wheelchair drag race with the participation of the audience. Basically they pull two drunken suckers on to the stage where they must put on a dress, stripper shoes, a wig, a purse, (all on top of their clothes) then wheel themselves all the way across the stage. First one to the other end wins a WHOPPING $ 5 bill y’all! Amazing what drunk people will do for that extra booze money. Don’t get me wrong, I actually think all that is pretty amazing! It’s way fun! I just wouldn’t be able to do that myself. Later in the evening they open the floor for some thugged out dancing where everyone seem to just be grinding on someones genitals. Its a hoot!
$ 5 cover charge at the door. Leave your jacket in the car, but arrive early, they can get packed and would more than likely leave you stranded outside in the cold. Plus parking can be tricky when the lot is full.

As a frequent flyer of this establishment I’d have to default say this the best club for anyone looking to enjoy themselves on a range of levels. They have active contests with cash prizes every week, a very nice interactive drag show, and even male dancers on Wednesdays! the cover charge is reasonably priced, and the dance floor often fills up after the shows. The staff is courteous and attentive. I’d recommend this establishment to anyone who wants to have a good time.

Meant to post a while ago, so this is a late review. Fun place, but when I went to pay the bartender she was pretty rude. Before I could hand her her tip, she snapped at me «A tip would’ve been nice». Like tf? I definitely didn’t tip her after that.

Small Place.
I did like the fact that they had cider (pear/​apple) Beers.
Went on a Sunday night. They opened at 7pm.
Do NOT get here before 830−9pm or else you’ll be the only person there.
The place was a little dingy/​nasty (broken mirror behind stage/​nasty carpets etc)
but to be expected in a little bar.
I knew there were going to be events that night (drag /“wet n wild”) but didn’t know when and i was tired of waiting for the shows to start. even then i wasn’t impressed with the drag show and gave up on the wet n wild.
People working were not very inviting

Among of all the gay bars in the area, I would say this is pretty much the decent one. Its clean and has a great mixed crowd. I will definitely come back.
Make sure to visit the website for special events. Friday is good to visit, drag show start at 10:30 pm and note to bring cash. don’t be a cheap butt!!! lmao^_* cheers…

I like this bar a lot: D even though it’s my first time coming here. I came here to watch the drag show last Saturday with my friend and they were stunningly beautiful. I rarely go out to nightclubs/​bars and I’m glad I came here. Me and my friend had so much fun!

Love love love the drag shows! My review is purely based on the drag shows which I have been to plenty of times taking my new friends to feast their eyes on all the fierceness.
The location is in a cookie cutter strip mall… surprise surprise! Right next to a daycare with rainbow words! Ha! But there is plenty of parking and it does fill up quickly so I get there at least an hour or more before the show starts to get decent seats and parking. I’ve never been mugged walking to my car but you never know so go with a group friends and don’t be that creeper. On Fridays bring some cash for tips, the ladies in Drag work hard to entertain so don’t be a cheap butt. And the bartenders too :)
Inside the establishment is kinda dingy but it works. The place smells like smoke, sweat, glitter and alcohol but guess what you are in a gay bar. Which although it is a gay bar the staff and customers do not discriminate from what I’ve seen. The drinks can be pricey but dependent on your bartender they can be are strong! The food is blah cheap greasy bar food and definitely not a place I go for to eat, I usually eat beforehand. The bathrooms for the ladies is… um, escort needed. Not out of fear of being assaulted or lost but the stall doors are loose and do not lock right and I have seen drunken chicks trample down a door only to pee on themselves. Oh, and ladies please hoover over those seats!!!
The entertainment and the drag shows is where it is at. If you follow the drag scene any then every now and then some RP Queens show up, like Tyra: D! (She is awesome, btw!) However! The local queens are beautiful, funny and talented. Especially Mercedes! Also, I have been here Thursday nights a couple of times which is karaōke night and in comparison to Fridays and Saturdays it is quite dead but again Drag is what keeps people coming back. However, Thursday is a great day to come socialize with good friends and act a fool singing or be a wall flower and play some pool :)
Overall, Rainbow Cactus is the best gay bar in comparison to venues out there in terms of entertainment, drinks, and acceptance of diversity… oh and safety, they have security constantly roaming about! Go to Rainbow Cactus, skip the Wave, Ambush and HerShe if you want the better options.

This was my first time at a gay bar. I will admit I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. My friend encouraged me to go and I was like sure what the hell life is too short lol. So in we went to the rainbow cactus. We watched the drag shows. It was really fun and neat. The atmosphere was very pleasant and fun. There was no drama and everyone I encountered was very friendly. The drinks were great although a little expensive for what I expected to pay on a Saturday night. Whatever. The bartender was fun and was dancing while she poured the drinks. The fried shrimp and fries were pretty good. I have to eat while I drink or it won’t be a good ending. All in all, check this place out. Don’t be nervous if you are not LGBT. This was an inviting atmosphere for all!

I don’t often go to Virginia Beach gay bars, but when I do…
Sorry, I don’t have a pithy finish to that sentence. But you have to admit, it was a great idea. Which somehow also seems to embody the RC: At the time, it seems like a great idea, but once you are actually there, it somehow doesn’t quite live up to the anticipation.
Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t an awful place or anything like that. Quite the opposite, it is a great facility. If you are a smoker, you will love it, they have a completely separate smoking area that doesn’t make you feel like a second class citizen. In fact, the smoking area seems at least as crowded as the non-​smoking area. The few times that I have been I’ve had no trouble finding a place to sit either, although I’m usually by myself. The drinks are about the right strength (although Emit does pour me a seriously wicked gin!), and the prices are reasonable. The crowd is Virginia Beach mellow, the vibe is laid back. No siree, the place isn’t awful at all.
But like many things here in our fair city, the anticipation seems to beat the actual experience. No fault of the club, I think maybe it is just us. You’ll meet some interesting people, you’ll have some interesting conversation. If it is karaōke night (it was when I was there), you’ll hear some good singing (you might want to go back to the smoking area when it is after midnight and I’ve decided that it is a good time to do some Dashboard Confessional though… consider yourself warned). And then you will go home. That is just the way we seem to roll here in Va Beach.
Maybe it is also due to the fact that there is no real gay section of town as there are in other cities. For instance, DC has Dupont Cirle. With apologies to Lloyd Benson, I’ve been to Dupont Circle. Virginia Beach Strip Mall where RC is located, you are no Dupont Circle. Part of the attraction of hitting the gay bars, at least for me, is picking up on the vibe of an area, and this part of Virginia Beach is without vibe, it is all strictly suburbia.
I think, though, that if there is a group of you, looking for a great evening out with friends, by all means, this is your place. And bump the rating at least one whole star, possibly one and a half. This place seems to love the idea, whether you bring ‘em with you or meet ‘em here. In fact, on a previous visit in the height of tourist season, I ended up hanging out with several middle aged couples here for a camping trip vacation. If this is an indication of the RC, these 4 man/​woman middle aged couples were here drinking for a few hours and had no idea that it was a gay bar.
Or who knows, maybe it is everybody else that has no idea that it is actually not!
In any case, just go and have a good time. If you have wanted to try karaōke but always seem to have an excuse not to, then do it here. Trust me.

I’ve been here a few times with my friends. I’ve gone just for drinks and dancing and also been to two of the drag queen shows.
There is VERY little parking when it is a busy night and you’ll either have to circle the parking lot for 30 minutes, take a taxi if you live nearby, or hope to get lucky. I rarely like to start an evening out like that so it’s part of the reason I don’t like visiting this place.
Once you do finally find a parking space and get inside it’s decorated very eclectically and is very colorful as its name suggests. It has various colored lava lamps and other light up items all around which is actually pretty cool. The dance floor is a good size and when a nice crowd is in it’s a fun space to dance.
The «smoking» section to comply with Virginia’s new laws can barely contain the stink of the smoke so for a non-​smoker like myself it’s not very pleasant.
It has a fun crowd and atmosphere but for the parking and smoke problems I typically avoid going here unless my friends insist and it is a special occasion.
The drag queen shows are a lot of fun to see as those ladies take it very seriously and most are very talented and have excellent wardrobes.