Featured Reviews


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Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 1/5 Sirat A. 1 year ago on Google
    Two different nights in a row, a month apart in 2022. They do not have enough bartenders to serve drinks. Expect to wait over 20+ minutes to get a drink. This ruins your entire night. Unacceptable! If you want to dance, please go elsewhere more reliable!
    3 people found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 2/5 Ron van K. 1 year ago on Google โ€ข 124 reviews
    Oh, for the good old daysโ€ฆ. Sissy on Saturday night, being on Bettyโ€™s guest list, volunteering etc. All gone but the building still stands. Now, is Bad Times.
    2 people found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 4/5 stephen b. 3 months ago on Google โ€ข 349 reviews New
    It's a great venue. I've seen a lot of show over the years. Happy to support this queer environment.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 D R. 8 months ago on Google
    Cool theatre. Every show that I have seen here has been fantastic. Very impressed.
    2 people found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 1/5 Eli S. 1 year ago on Google
    I have been to this place already 3x and all of them the experience wasn't great. I didn't like the music at all in every time I was there and when you need to get a drink you have usually 2 or 3 people there to serve you, which means you will wait at least 30 minutes in line if the house is full. If you want to dance there are much much better options out there. Oh, the cover is $15 after 11pm or $10 before it but people usually get there at 12am. So, don't get there before 11:30pm otherwise you will be almost the only person there. And DO NOT forget your proof of vaccine for COVID. Yes, they still asking for it until this day (my last visit there was on Feb 25, 2023).
    2 people found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 1/5 J S. 1 year ago on Google
    New management is terrible. Incompetent, difficult to deal with, certainly not customer-service oriented. Not an exaggeration to characterize them as borderline hostile to rental clients. Something needs to change
    2 people found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Arden K. 11 months ago on Google โ€ข 66 reviews
    was so excited to return to Buddies for the second Fierce event! amazing venue for partying, drinking, unwinding, and being fuzzy!
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Bryce M. 2 months ago on Google โ€ข 31 reviews New
    I love this theatre, I've seen a few shows here and it's such a safe space and I'd highly recommend going to a show here
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 1/5 R C. 4 months ago on Google โ€ข 27 reviews
    Had a terrible customer service experience. I am a theatre student and have watched many plays here before as school studies, and for th first time I attempted to exchange my tickets for a different date because of work, and the box office simply told me 'No', that I will have to purchase a new one. I reached out days before the performance as they advise on their website, tried to meet them halfway, offered to pay the administration fee, top up the cost so I don't lose the amount I already paid for, but they wouldn't even try to change the date for me. Is sooo sad that a theatre venue will treat a theatre student so poorly, I can't afford to pay for tickets twice! I will never purchase a show here ever again.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Lesley N. 2 months ago on Google โ€ข 26 reviews New
    I saw "The Tempest" at Buddies on Saturday night. A lively and innovative interpretation by five talented Women. I loved it. I highly recommend it. Bundle up the theatre is very cold.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 A 3 months ago on Google โ€ข 18 reviews New
    Amazing space with so many versatile uses! Spacious renovated and trendy bathrooms. Friendly staff. A great queer space!
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Matkai B. 3 years ago on Google
    An absolute gem and staple of the LGBTQ community both in terms of Toronto culture but also Canadian culture and LGBTQ culture at large. The venue is an innovative Black-box style layout that allows for a variety of setups for shows, events and even club nights. The creative team changes over the years offering new perspectives, but the commitment to LGBTQ stories and Canadian entertainment remains the constant. If you haven't been to Buddies yet, I suggest you go for both a night out (Saturday night) as well as to watch a theatre performance, as they are two very distinctly different experiences that will give you much needed value and expose you to the magic that is Buddies.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Lucy A. 1 month ago on Google โ€ข 6 reviews New
    Such a wonderful evening! Highly recommend. Everything they do is magic
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Andy F. 1 year ago on Google
    After the Club Q shootings in The USA, I appreciate our safe Queer spaces in Canada. Buddies gives us quality theatre, performance art & entertainment for diverse Queer audiences and I appreciate it more than ever after 4 decades. It is such an important community hub.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Sandor D. 1 year ago on Google
    It's a hot little theatre, baby. And I don't mean the temperature. Good vibe. Chill. Gender-inclusive washrooms. Sweet staff.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 5/5 Alexandra W. 1 year ago on Google
    Such a welcoming venue that cares deeply about the comfort and safety of both the performers and the audience. Always a fabulous time here and I've never seen any productions that were less than stellar!
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 3/5 Andrew T. 1 year ago on Google
    Went twice in last week (Sat and Mon). Great dance floor and stage. Friendly staff. Good drink prices. But massively understaffed bar. Waited 20-30 minutes for a drink. The line for the bar hit the stage. They need to open the 2nd bar, or have a mobile bar.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 2/5 Ernesto L. 1 year ago on Google
    I normally go to Buddies once a month for the Throb Party. Last Saturday (June 11) I waited in line for a drink for almost 50 minutes. Missing 1/3 of my time there trying to have fun in line while other people just cut the line and get served first. Just two bartenders working on their own time. My suggestion is or hiring more staff or sell drink tickets at the entrance so the bartenders donโ€™t have to waste time computing the sales. Donโ€™t understand me wrong, I love going there but thereโ€™s no organization by the staff, I work as a bartender and waiting for that much for a drink at a party with less than 200 people is an absolute mess.
    1 person found this review helpful ๐Ÿ‘

  • 4/5 Colibri du N. 7 months ago on Google โ€ข 28 reviews
    ๐Ÿ’” We were so happy to see Buddies open as a club during Pride. But then so disappointed when it closed again! And itโ€™s hard to understand since thereโ€™s so many lgbt+ bars / clubs that have closed in recent yearsโ€ฆ

  • 5/5 Cyprianos C. 1 month ago on Google โ€ข 18 reviews New
    A centre piece of Torontoโ€™s queer theatre culture. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre delivers innovative and topical shows. The venue itself has significant charm.

  • 5/5 Nicholas M. 5 years ago on Google
    Great space for drag and all things queer. Not gay, per se, but queer, for sure.

  • 5/5 Flippin' L. 9 months ago on Google
    Watched a comedy show featuring the talented @hdotsdot at this venue. Such a dope space with a really cool vibe!

  • 4/5 Luis A. M. 4 years ago on Google
    Great music and atmosphere. Seems like we went on lesbian night. Or maybe it's just predominantly lesbian now. Not a problem. Great. Was just unexpected

  • 5/5 Imogen Q. 6 months ago on Google
    Such a wonderful theatre space. Staff is wonderfully helpful.

  • 5/5 isac h. 5 months ago on Google
    Speaking of Sneaking was an amazing show! It's a must see!

  • 4/5 Dave m. 10 months ago on Google
    First time seeing a play at Buddies and it was great. The staff were amazing and the small, but well stocked bar was a pleasant surprise. Decent prices as well.

  • 5/5 C 4 years ago on Google
    I didn't go there to see a Performance , the space was being used as a night club / dance hall . Fully licensed great music super fun time. The village has no great night clubs anymore , no where you can go and just dance . This is space is great!! Lasers and dry ice an old school Village night club

  • 5/5 Tyler C. 4 months ago on Google
    Staff are always so lovely! Great event space as well.

  • 4/5 Deepak C. 4 years ago on Google
    Love this place. Its different. When one needs to get out of core church gay scene. Amazing drag performances. Newly renovated washrooms. Just that the bar is located as such that if it gets a little crowded, the movement in and out can get blocked too.

  • 5/5 Mika P. 4 years ago on Google
    Fantastic. Saw "Shove It Down My Throat" and that's the best play I've ever seen outside the classics. I was utterly blown away and their welcoming attitudes shape the experience you get. As a safe place it excels, as a center for the Arts it dominates and as a small-time, local and utterly ethical business, it's where I plan to visit again and again. Keep up the amazing work!

  • 5/5 Daniel L. 5 years ago on Google
    I give it 5 stars because it's different, you feel in another dimension... If you go to the washrooms look at the signs... And for the ones in there please lock your door!!! Lol it has a great vibe and the people working there are just delightful!

  • 5/5 Anika K. 2 years ago on Google
    very amazing theatre and experience ! I want to go to see amazing show, but also support as many LGBT as I can always ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ

  • 5/5 John M. 11 months ago on Google
    Not my scene normally. One of the best nights I've ever had. Blast from start to finish. Amazing crowd. Would definitely do again.

  • 5/5 Jeremy L. 1 year ago on Google
    What an inclusive and wonderful place! I had the honour of attending an incredible drag show hosted here, and just as great as my time was during the show, it was equally thanks to the welcoming, inviting, and open establishment it was held in! Thank you for being so great!

  • 5/5 Raymond H. 2 years ago on Google
    They have a patio, poetry and Patricia - what more could one want!

  • 5/5 Vikki Z. 1 year ago on Google
    Awesome place! Loved the show and the people

  • 5/5 Dennis H. 1 year ago on Google
    The center of the woke theatre scene in Canada, you likely will hear sentences like "Is they coming?" and learn how to speak correctly as the M.C.s and performers will tell you how to do so. Current plays and performers highlight wokeness through the lens of queer theory with a strong focus on the exploration of the the hundred of kinds of sexualities discovered by queer theorists ((LBGT2QIA++++++) and their traumatic identity stories.

  • 3/5 Carlo F. 10 months ago on Google
    This is a good venue for events as it's a large space when it's fully opened up. In most situations it's only the main area that's used so it does feel a bit cramped. They also still require the vaccine passport so make sure to have that available before you arrive, otherwise you'll end up being turned away. Masks are also required in certain areas of the venue.

  • 4/5 Lauren S. 1 year ago on Google
    Old theatre, good for events but kind of small and has an awkward layout. Somewhat strange for accessibility.

  • 5/5 vanessa k. 1 year ago on Google
    First time visiting the theatre for queer comedy night and had such a blast! The space is intimate and the drinks are reasonably price. The staff there are very nice :)

  • 5/5 Nat (Nathan M. 1 year ago on Google
    Lovely folks had such a great time also felt safe there going to the bathroom since it was a super nice all genders restroom which rarely get at venues super stoked to go to an event there again!!!!

  • 1/5 Simon S. 1 year ago on Google
    So disappointed! First, the place looks old. Besides of that, music was not good, very few people there, but the worst thing was the drinks. They gave me a beer with a lemon and a long hair inside the lemon ๐Ÿคข๐Ÿคฎ we stayed there for one hour or so.

  • 4/5 Nicole B. 1 year ago on Google
    I went to a Friday night performance of the first stone. I didn't know what to expect. It was excellent!

  • 5/5 Reanna P. 1 year ago on Google
    I went for a friend of friends musical and I was so moved by all the Inspiring artists on stage. Literally blown away.

  • 1/5 Chris H. 1 year ago on Google
    A true overkill by management for COVID19. Looks like run by draconian management who have too much ideas. You have to do 3 things before you enter - as if vaccination status was not enough - you also had to wear mask and fill out questionnaire.


Call +1 416-975-8555 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Payments
    • โœ“๏ธ Debit cards
    • โœ“๏ธ Credit cards
    • โœ“๏ธ NFC mobile payments
  • Accessibility
    • โœ“๏ธ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • โœ“๏ธ Wheelchair-accessible seating
    • โœ“๏ธ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • โœ“๏ธ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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