"I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me Papa-paparazzi!" Door burst open with the tug of a firm hand... A staircase for the history books descending down into a wonderland of decadence, class and charm... At the very end just left of the second door, the one you've been waiting for, is a stand and a flock of stylish gentlemen to confirm legality to enter such a establishment (21+ & over) . Not to mention give you a friendly Victoria welcome minus the Cher cabaret burlesque number in the first act of Burlesque the movie. Paparazzi is s true hidden gem or diamond in the rough as another put it. A well known spot that doesn't like to scream itself as a gay night club or lgbtq+ establishment... Because it's a space where all are welcome and can be relished for lack of a better accompanying term. While the fixtures, back booths, pool tables and lay out are dated with underground 80s aesthetics in a good way... It's also up to date with sick beats, an amazing full bar and lots of friendly faces and people. The stained pool tables are apart of the charm... And after spilling a few drops of one of our cocktails on one of them... we quickly saw why... The two black boxes on the dance floor are just a step up and open to any and all when the dance party is on. They do have performances here, including drag shows so this may be one of the times that space wouldn't be open to patrons. We definitely worked them like it was their last night they'd be in use (pre-pandemic). The cover to get in is pretty fair, however is cash only. They do except US/American dollars if you're from out of the country as a lot of people often are. Next trip to Victoria, BC... "Baby, there's no other superstar You know that I'll be... Your papa-paparazzi!" read more

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I would give this place a 0 if I could. From a recent experience last night, how this club responded was unacceptable. a guest was called a homophobic slur, had reported this accident and nothing had been done. This place is no longer a safe place for the LGBTQ+ people. How can this club pride themself in providing an "all inclusive space and have no tolerance for any discrimination or harassment" when nothing was done? Show accountability and stop deleting your comments on instagram. It doesn't take much to apologize. read more

I'm not a fan if the DJ on Friday nights, the musics a little slow and it's not the most well-known. but on saturdays the music is great! drinks are definitely a little on the pricey-er side compared to other places in town. a little too if your a student make sure to check to see if they're offering a student discount- they'll tell you on their website/facebook read more

Sadly this place has come under a rebrand and is not a safe 2SLGBTQIA+ space anymore. The staff are rude, people are throwing glasses in the bathroom stalls with staff even in there laughing at the broken glass, security/staff will yell at you for using 'the wrong bathroom', not throwing your glass over the stall. Ordered 3 white claws over the course of a few hours, each time was told a different price. Place has A/C but they do not turn it on often, the mirrors were dripping with condensation. read more

Absolute garbage. My my experience here was beyond disappointing, I was in the bathroom with my friend and the security guard came in and started screaming at us, telling us to leave it felt so heteronormative. I am very disappointed in this experience and I'm looking forward to going to an actual gay bar in the future. Do not ever come here. Find a better spot that actually treats it's guests properly. The shift time was between 10PM and 11PM on Friday March 31st and the manager was the one who was a nightmare to deal with. I was in incredibly sober at this time and I am super disappointed with the service. Will not be coming here again save your cash and your time. read more

Great place! Was dead on a Tuesday night, but the Dj was very accommodating and played all of our favourite songs. The bartender was also very nice. It was 6$ drink night as well and we had a great time. read more

Went here for my gay Canadian friend's birthday celebration. Coming from San Francisco, perhaps my standards are unreasonably high? Liquor selection, dismal.. Likelihood that they water down the booze? Highly likely. $103 dollar tab, barely a hangover today, that's proof right there. Understaffed. Worst DJ ever, 99% sure he was straight. Still had a great time in spite of poor management. You know the type of owner that insists on bussing all the empty glasses but is too useless to poor a drink even though there's a line up the wazoo? Yeah, don't be that guy.. Guys were hot, the girls were hotter, wait was that girl? Everyone was nice but that's Canada for ya. Honey, come to SF and take some notes kay? Will we be back? Probably.. but only because they have the market skewered! Victoria needs two gay bars, a little competition would surely benefit the burgeoning scene oout here eh. ‍‍‍‍ read more

Needs an update and better people running the place. Floors always sticky and music sucks. A DJ that can actually DJ would be nice. Not everyone just wants to listen to the pop hits you press play on. read more

The Paparazzi Nightclub (formerly the Prism Lounge) is a delightful gay club. Located in the basement, there's good dance music, but it isn't too loud, and there's a really nice lounge area where you can sit and be social. The clientele ranged from late teens to people in their 60s -- a nice mix of ages. Both women and men frequent the bar. You can also play billiards. read more

Paparazzi Nightclub - Paparazzi Nightclub - Dance Clubs Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

You need to revise your website. Your door is locked at 10pm so you are obviously shut down. It is not cool to mislead the public. I went to Friends of Dorothy and had a great time. read more

While visiting Victoria recently, my friend and I decided to check this place out to see if the scene was happening in Canada. It was. Nice good looking crowd and good music. Hot shirtless bartender and nice couches to sit on as well. Only drawback was that there was no air conditioning in the place and it was smoldering. It would be great if the owner invested in this. This is the only reason I am giving it 3 stars is because this place needs some air. read more

Paparazzi, is a diamond in the rough. Being Victoria's only prominent, gay establishment, it has a lot to offer but you need to be open minded. Victoria is not Miami, or LA - it is an older cultured environment. There is history in Victoria, and it carries down the flight of stairs into a warm embracing nightclub. Don't go there looking to cause problems, or expect to have an all night rager. The venue and people (of Victoria) are calm, friendly and inviting. It's a place to be free - of judgment and expectation. Have an open mind, to meet new people - talk with locals and enjoy a beer. Have Fun! read more

Needs to be re-imagined and re-branded with better marketing that represents a younger crowd.

Being from Seattle I came here on my 19th birthday for a drag show. The show was super fun not all were very skilled but that didn't matter because they were enjoying themselves. Bartender was very nice but a little slow to help us out. read more

I have so much fun at paparazzi it is amazing place to be at and great music and great ppl I love u paparazzi

This bar, also known as Prism, exists because a city of this size needs a gay bar. But it seems that being gay friendly is its only asset. The people are friendly and there seems to be a core group of them that hang out on some couches, they hold some events and there is a dance floor. It is in a good location downtown... But missing is the wild anonymous party atmosphere that anyone who is only gay on Saturdays would hope for... (not that I would know anything about that XD) What can I say though, for a city with no visible gay district, I suppose this is as good as it gets. Hence a fourth star for being there when no one else is. If this bar were in Vancouver I would only give it 3. read more

We stopped in the bar early Saturday night around 9, and it only had about 12 people at that time. The bar didn't have any Absolute or Grey Goose. They only had flavored vodka. The bartender had so much attitude, we ended up leaving after our first drink. read more

This place has come a long way in the last year or so. I mostly come here every other week on Wednesdays and sometimes weekend nights. The Wednesday night bartender is really sweet and he seems to work quickly. Not to mention he's really tall and hot! Not sure what other nights he bartends, though... he seems to always be there on Wednesdays. I haven't had a lot of interaction with the other staff because during the week it seems like there's only the owner and the bartender working? If I do end up coming on weekends this summer I hope to see the tall bartender there. I went on a Saturday a few weeks ago and both of the boys working were either slow (the smaller one) or rude (the beefy one) Most of the staff seem to be attractive at least. Not sure if that's company policy. It's a pretty small venue compared to other clubs, but it's never too busy, i guess. If you are looking for a lounge-type bar with gay music this would be a good fit. Maybe they should just not label it as a nightclub. I think the main problem with this bar is the way it looks. The front entrance feels like you're entering a below-ground dungeon, and it's far too easy to miss the bar all-together when walking past. Even the railings on the entry stairs have lost all their paint. Once you get past the stairs and are inside it's quite inviting, though. I would probably rate this place a 2 star, but due to the recent renovations inside the rest of the bar and a good experience with the staff, I'd definitely give it a 3 1/2. read more

My partner and I had an amazing time here! The owner is a total sweetheart and we met so many fantastic people, not to mention the great, reasonably priced drinks! I highly recommend Paparazzi to anybody visiting Victoria! The atmosphere is very friendly and welcoming, and they have the most comfortable seats I have ever seen in a bar. The establishment is very well taken care of, it's clear that the owner loves the bar and appreciates his customers. read more

Currently, Victoria's only "LGBT nightclub". I've been here twice in the last year: once after Gay Pride Day and once three weeks ago. Both times I was disappointed. What didn't meet my expectations? For whatever reason, the LGBT community in Victoria is semi-invisible and does not seem to want to support any LGBT social venues, which most other cities support. Last time I went, the crowd was mainly female, primarily under 30 yrs of age and dreadfully boring. There wasn't any "eye candy". It is a dark and gloomy setting. It has the effect of making one feel they are in someone's large basement. As mentioned, there isn't much else here with an LGBT focus, but I definitely won'y be making a return visit. I'd rather head out to "straight" lounge and at least feel I'm not in some depressing environment. read more

they throw other peoples drinks on your tab and leave you paying for other people's drinks. shameful bar!

You see everything down at the Paparazzi. A safe bar for the gay & straight community, where everyone is always welcome. I have been coming to this bar for 20+ years under 3 different owners, & have alway been treated well by all the staff. read more

Paparazzi is a great awesome place to hang out the music is great its the safest bar and friendly night club you can be at i have a great time each and every time i come here I love this place so much i meet such wonderful people. Great music great dance floor. Friendly staff respectfull read more

UGH...honestly I don't even know where to start. My husband and I decided to gather a group of our close friends for drinks downtown. We decided that after a number of bad experiences at this place we chose to give it another chance. Past experiences were that it smelled awful every time (mostly a smell that you only get after spilled beer and whatever else was left to go rotten and never cleaned up). When special events did happen we were more than happy to pay the cover, yet, when having waited in line for upwards of an hour and a half to find out the place is completely empty. The entire lineup was all smoke and mirrors. It was all for optics. Shame. This time we were greeted at the door pleasantly enough, however, after being required to pay cover (for what? Nobody could explain to us why). I'm sorry but I'm not paying a cover just to get into a dive bar when there are no special events occurring to justify the charge. There was a significant enough group of us to where we would have very easily dropped $800 to $1000 on drinks. So basically the greed for a little cover was a higher priority for the owner than letting people actually come in and spend significantly more on drinks. Finally, as the only LGBT bar in Victoria you have a responsibility. You have an obligation to create an environment where anyone who is a part of the LGBT community is made to feel safe and accepted in a venue where they are allowed to be themselves without hierarchy or judgement. You have taken that concept and made an embarrassment of it. Clean the place up, make it presentable, show people that this is more than just a playground for the owner to waste some money. Be better read more

Queer people!!! All people!!! Stay faaar away from this bar! Over the years, I've heard lots of locals are boycotting this bar, mostly because of the security and staff. There have been many cases circulating on facebook of security hassling people for no reason, especially trans people and women. I kept going to Paparazzi because there are so few options. I went last weekend for the first time in a few years and will never go back. After paying a steep cover fee, buying bad expensive beer, watching some poor girl get kicked out by an inexplicably aggressive security guard for having a backpack that nobody told her she had to check and being given major attitude by the door staff, I'll never go back. If you aren't deterred by erratic security or transphobia, be deterred by bad beer, expensive prices, bad music and horrible staff. There are much better options out there! read more

Expensive cover. Horrible ambience. Grumpy, mean staff. Bad beer selection. Watered-down drinks (I used to work in a bar - know the trick well). Bad music. So many better options. Will not go here again! There are other gay/lesbian/trans/queer friendly bars in Victoria. Yuck! read more

Currently having a wicked start to a very awesome friend filled weekend sipping a drink, and loving the DJ bumping dem top40/EDM style tunes i give this club 5 stars from my own experience i absolutely adore paparazzi nightclub the staff are very friendly, respectful & they make everyone feel welcome from my first time going to this establishment i had such a awesome time i had to bring more friends from outta town down to pap and even after their first time in paparazzi they love it so much they keep asking me to bring them back and i do if i was asked if id recommend this club to others my answer is within a heartbeat there is no other club that makes me feel like home then paparazzi nightclub and i dont plan on ever giving up on this club for a simple fact if you finally found YOUR PLACE would you Ever LEAVE and my answer is hellllllll Noooooo too much in love with paparazzi's community , Environment & staff that makes this MY PLACE TO PARTY ON EARTH ! ! ! ! ! read more

I have been going to clubs since I was 15 in Toronto and have lived in all the major cities in Canada and have been to most of the bars in those cities. Paparazzi sucks. they have a 50something bartender who has no personality and only talks to the regulars and there are only a few of those and they are all over 50. They have virtually nothing going on during the week except for karaoke 1 night. The music and DJ are sure to keep you off the dance floor, the music is tired even dull, they need a younger DJ desperately. It does get a little better on Fri.and Sat. nights though but still sucks. This is a University town and we never see any of the gay and lesbian students probably because the prices are to high for them. The place could be packed or at least busy most nights if the owners would spend more time on the bar and not the face-lifts and costumes(like mardi gras) for pride. if they dont get their shit together soon Victoria will be a no gay bar town. You cant keep a place running if you have no customers and thats already happening. If they served finger food (fries, zucchini sticks etc...)and had drink specials and sales on jugs of beer and 2 nights of Karaoke and other game nights with prizes and maybe hire 1 or 2 University students as waiters, the place would be a hit and thats what I would like to see and that what would get me out to the bar!!!!! read more

Recently went to this club on a Sunday at 6pm, based on the reviews, it was supposed to be a nice mix of people and social, after being jipped for change by the bartender (who apparently is also the owner) there were only three people in the bar, one was an extremely drunk hustler, the other was nice enough though, he socialized with me and my partner for a few moments. I found the floor extremely sticky, like it hadn't been cleaned in years, and the hustler was far too drunk, but still being served by the owner no less. After failed attempts at making passes on the owner/bartender, the owner was gracious enough to suggest that perhaps myself or my partner would be interested in doing something with him! First impressions...a dive. Wouldn't go back if you paid me. I'd rather go to a straight club and socialize with normal peeps. Perhaps it has a better night scene, but definitely not a place that neither myself or partner would ever go to again! read more