Queer Music & Nightlife
Friends
Hub of community, resources, and events
Mutual aid, drag shows, line dancing, and art markets.
Kayaking, hikes and coffee chats. Sober-friendly
Online peer social group ran by Babs Ramsey.
Group centering Trans Men, Trans Masc* and Nonbinary folks.
Sapphic Supper Club, social events, speed dating - trans nonbinary and queer inclusive
All-inclusive, actively moderated Furry group with frequent in-person and Discord meetups.
Local scene for goth / darkwave / industrial
Glass accessories for the discerning partaker. Puts on Art markets and swaps
Runs Queer Prom!
Experimental music and sound art collective. Centered out of Project Project.
Year-round adult (19+) social sports. Volleyball, softball, darts and the Lousy Bowlers Club. Everyone welcome regardless of experience or sexuality.
Flat-track roller derby league with two teams that practice twice a week. Recruitment events and bootcamps for new skaters.
Spiritual
Dawaune creates a container to be unapologetically heard on Sundays 5PM to 7PM @ Ananda Yoga (Pay What You Can)
Queer / Trans* Emotional Release class on Sundays @ 12:30PM (Pay What You Can)
Low-key meditation in progressive Buddhist tradition on Mondays @ 6:30PM at The Yoga Path on 72nd and Pacific.
In-person meditation Sundays @ 9:45AM
Get stratospheric with Havalynn at Church Art House Sundays @ 10:30AM (besides the first Sunday) (Pay What You Can)
Group Chants at Yoga Now in Benson last Fridays @ 6:30–8:00PM - no singing required
Art
Get paid for your art.
Fun and inventive music workshops - want to smash a piano? How quietly can you play a tambourine?
Drop-in drum circle every 3rd Friday from 7PM to 9PM @ Whole Rejuvenation House (4312 Camden Ave). Bring a drum or borrow one of theirs!
Bring your laptop, analog synth, or modular rig to Shakedown Street @ 8-10pm on the last Monday of the month. Wallflowers welcome!
Jo's free creative gathering at Legend Comics & Coffee (Benson) on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Sundays, 11am–2pm. Bring whatever project you're working on and create alongside other artists and writers.
Runs Omaha Zine Fest! (OZF) - publishes queer / trans local Comix, Poetry chapbooks, and Linocuts
Unique artistic space in a de-consecrated church. Drawing classes, acro-yoga, ecstatic dance, singing bowls. Clay wheel and kiln in the basement.
Punk/queer DIY space with experimental music and local art.
All that extra paint has to go somewhere - Open Thurs 5PM-8PM, Sat/Sun 11AM-3PM + 2nd Fridays on Vinton
Local artists, music and market at rotating venues eg Church Art House.
South Omaha
Huge art gallery plus studio space. "Mens" is single-stall.
Black-owned community space for shows and art events.
Exhibits, studios, classes, and talks.
Monthly art walk through the Benson Creative District with galleries, studios and pop-ups open late. Petshop, BFF Gallery, Ming Toy and more.
Benson
Punk/queer space for provocative art and experimental music.
Large gallery showing larger local artists.
Cool punk gallery. My art was in it!
Cozy gallery next to Edge of the Universe.
Minimalist space with a cool upstairs.
Mobile gallery often parked near Petshop showing local artists.
Open artist studios, music and free workshops ran by BFF.
Arts collective and neighborhood gallery
Traditional and contemporary Mexican folkloric dance, creative expression, and community gathering. Has Dia de Los Muertos and Cinco de la Mayo events.
Arts market and outdoor music in the summer. Get the Momos at Inner Rail. Check out Oto Listening Lounge. Single-stall BRs at Inner Rail, Godega, Marigold's and Roast.
Holocaust survivor's art museum with workshops and education programs.
Open Studios for Expressive Art in the MasterCraft Building
Cutting-edge museum with resident artists, the Low End music series and major installations.
Glassblowing studio with classes and events.
Artist-owned gallery showcasing a wide variety of local art.
Looks like the theater kids are the popular ones now!
Cafes
Great people, coffee and pastries both in Aksarben / 120th and Blondo.
Grab-and-go food, specialty snacks, and a place to hang out
Artisanal goods and crafts.
Large popular cafe. Good for meetups and "working".
Best coffee in town. Lil BoHo location serves great brunch food from Know Good.
Queer-owned pastry shop.
Board game cafe with an active monthly Meetup Group.
Truly unique place with artist owners. Great date spot.
Comic shop with a large queer section. Board game space in the back.
Dundee cafe with huge flyer board.
Small place whose takeout coffee comes in glass containers with deposit.
Bookstore cafe / bar with a Queer-run poetry reading open mic night. See also the Poetry Menu site.
Downtown and West O locations.
Buddhist themed cafe with vegan options and authentic thangkas.
Chill tea shop. Nice place for hanging out.
Women-owned tea shop supporting sustainable and organic farming, with custom blends by owner Andrea.
Breakfast, lunch and grab-and-go from the Blue Line Coffee folks, with a big covered patio.
Authentic space for comrades and coffee
The only Air Roaster in town.
Music
Nexus of punks, electronic synthesists, shoegaze aficionados and acoustic singer-songwriters. Clay throwing classes, kiln and glazing.
Punk DIY space for experimental music and local art.
Dive bar next to Petshop with drag / burlesque shows and music.
Gets a lot of cool local and regional acts.
Dive bar for local acts,burlesque shows and drag.
Goth club at the old Down Under address. Punk / darkwave / industrial shows. Noir Omaha hosts a goth night every Second Saturday - 8PM to close
Bookish bar with local acts.
Legendary dive bar. Did you know it's owned by members of the band Cursive?
Hosts blues shows and local acts.
Ye Olde Garage. Cool arts, punk-adjacent, electronic / experimental music.
Vegan restaurant in Blackstone with resident DJs performing on Saturdays.
Experimental music series uplifting BIPOC, trans and queer artists.
Hub of industrial and darkwave scene
Secret (shhhh) speakeasy under Ika Ramen in Benson
Experimental music nights with visuals and circuit bending, a couple of times a year.
THE place for local music, ran by legit musicians. Free shuffle function!
Makers
Gabi identifies as a Queer, Disabled and BIPOC artist with a love for mixed medium works, often blending a use of acrylic painted scenes highlighted by hand stitched beads.
Artists Morgue and Stromer (both they/them) create sexy animal-skull pinup girls, reclaimed stained glass art and amazing cat-skull queer pride pins. I love my 'gendervoid' one from them. Find them at punk and queer markets.
Cyberpunk decks by Haidyn Sosalla-Bahr (they/them) created an original cyberpunk universe. Find them at the BFF Art Market, Omaha Arts Festival Aksarben June 12-14, and Rockbrook Arts Festival September 12 from 10-6 and September 13 from 10-5
Kayla Thor creates Gifts & Glasses for Every Ghoul. Glass tumblers, mugs, earrings, notebooks and other accessories for the dark and spooky.
Friendly tattoo shop with used book section and cool stickers
Keep your houseplants alive (or just buy new ones every few months).
Chill bookstore in the burbs.
Get your puppy(girl) a custom trans flag collar.