Downtown Olly's

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Downtown Olly's is an LGBTQ sports bar and restaurant in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. Opened in 2002, it is one of seven gay bars in the city. [1] In 2022, it was named as the "LGBTQ Venue of the Year". [2] They often hold backyard and pride based events, including drag shows and queer stand-up comedy. [3] The bar sponsors and furnishes a float in the Indy Pride Parade each June. [4]

Contents

History

Before Downtown Olly's was established, it was called Brothers in the 1970s, which was also a gay bar; it had no windows as patrons feared being shot at or seen within the bar. [5]

It turned into a more well-known bar later, being a very comfortable and relaxed environment for Midwestern queer people. [6] It is especially popular for Midwestern queer people due to "unpretentious welcomeness, cheap and abundant beer, pork tenderloin sandwiches and dinner specials named after Indianapolis 500 race flags". [7]

The bar used to be open 24/7, but that changed due to a rise in hate crimes in and around the bar in 2022. This also resulted in the bar closing for "team safety training" for a period of time. [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Smalstig, Madison. "Indianapolis gay bars: 7 spaces made for the LGBTQ+ community". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  2. ↑ "Downtown Olly's wins 2022 LGBTQ Venue of the Year". WRTV Indianapolis. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  3. ↑ "Backyard Events | Downtown Olly's in Indianapolis, IN". Downtown Olly's | Gay Bar in Indianapolis, IN. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  4. ↑ "INDY PRIDE PARADE". Indy Pride, Inc. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  5. ↑ Higgins, By Will. "The strange but true history of Indianapolis' gay bars". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  6. ↑ Kirts, Terry (2020-01-07). "Our Ode To Downtown Olly's". Indianapolis Monthly. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  7. ↑ Gettinger, Aaron (2019-05-22). "At Downtown Olly's, Indianapolis' LGBTQ+ Community Finds a (24 Hour, Breakfast-Serving) Home". Them. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  8. ↑ "Downtown Olly's, LGBTQ venue of the year, closes for team safety training". WRTV Indianapolis. 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
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