SF's drag diva lists her top 10 club picks of 2008, as well as her predictions for the coming year.

What a year it has been. 2008 brought many exciting moments, changes, and additions to the gay nightlife in San Francisco. And Lord knows, I made a good run to be apart of it all. Here are my Top 5 Picks for bars, clubs, circuit parties, events, and venues that made our nightlife in 2008 amazing. And don’t forget to check-out my promising picks of 2009.

BARS

When it comes to gay bars in San Francisco, there are over 30 some odd such bars in this city. The Castro continues to be the area with the most popular gay bars, of course, but the bars in SOMA are making a resurgence by getting creative with bar nights and drawing the gay boys from the Castro. But the bar that stood out the most in 2008, owned 2008. With just a little over a year of existence under its belt, the Lookout offers its patrons something special every night except Mondays: Double Vision Tuesdays, Brain Fart Trivia Wednesdays, Girlz Thursdays, Activate Fridays, Social Club Saturdays, and Gloss Sundays. And all these events are thriving, and offer something different. With its existence, the bars in Castro have had to step up their game to stay fresh, current and interesting. The "bar" has been raised with Lookout.

5. Bar on Castro

4. Powerhouse

3. 440

2. The Mix

1. LOOKOUT
3600 16th St @ Market
www.lookoutsf.com

The 2009 WatchOut Bar Award

TRUCK

Keep your eye on the little bar in SOMA that could. I don’t know quite why, but I have a real sneaking suspicion that 2009 will be the year that Truck goes from posing as a great bar to being a great bar. Thanks to Suppositori Spelling’s DJing, sashaying, and dragging, Truck pulled out of the hum-drum bar stop in 2008 and doesn’t appear to be looking back. Check out its Saturday and Sunday bar nights. You won’t be sorry.

Truck
1900 Folsom @ 15th
www.myspace.com/trucksf

CLUBS

Dancin’, dancin’, dancin’….he’s a dancin’ machine! That could have been the theme for 2008, for we saw many a new club party start, and finish, but mostly start. It has been some time since I have seen so much in the area of dance clubs for the gay boys to set the soles of their shoes on fire. And it’s been one of the newer dance clubs that has taken off with the experience of a legendary queen and the young eye of a protégé’ with his finger on the pulse of today’s gay party scene that has every Wednesday night highlighted on every gay boy's calendar. Juanita MORE! and Joshua J’s Booty Call at the Bar on Castro is so smokin’ every week with hotties that it even has its own pin-up calendar.

5. Pan Dulce

4. Badlands

3. Activate

2. Ghetto Disco

1. BOOTY CALL
The Bar on Castro
456 Castro Street
www.juanitamore.com
www.myspace.com/bootycall_boc

The 2009 WatchOut Club Award

BADBOYS

The Stud has been around a long time; it's the oldest running gay bar in SOMA. And as with any well established business, it has morphed from time to time in order to keep up with what’s new. 2008 saw many party changes at the Stud, including the addition of BadBoys on Saturday nights. This naughty and not-too-nice club party gets wild with suggestive go-go boys, headed by Christian Owen, and devilish drag hostess Suppositori Spelling. The dungeon dark feel at the Stud is a perfect ambiance for this dark and dirty party. Check out their Resolution Revolution on Saturday, January 3 and experience the BadBoys.

Saturday, January 3
The Stud
9th & Harrison
www.myspace.com/badboyssf

CIRCUIT PARTIES

San Francisco has had some long standing monthly circuit parties, primarily at the production hands of Gus Bean of Gus Presents, but it has been a couple of new monthly parties that have pushed the envelope in 2008 and have turned the run-of-the-mill circuit parties into circuit events. Never before have we seen so many big-named and internationally known djs, top-notched recording artists, and over-the-top themes at circuit parties as we did in 2008, especially with Adonis. It has been great to have new promoters like Hawthorne and Andre’ Shannon bringing the flair of the afterhours party with Twisted, and a touch of New York to San Francisco as with Pornstar. Luke Johnstone ended the year with his stable Industry teaming with the gay events site, Tobygo.com, in a production that included an exciting live show. But the circuit party of circuit parties which consistently gives us the flash, the flair, and the fire that circuit parties are made of and commendably gives back to the community is Mike Lane’s and Janine Shiota’s Fresh @ Ruby Skye. Multi-level go-go platforms, big screen visual displays, concert light shows, super efficient bar staff, VIP rooms, top-notched world class djs, and shirtless hotties is what I expect each and every 3rd Sunday of the month. And by George, that’s exactly what I get at Fresh.

5. Twisted
4. Pornstar
3. Adonis
2. Industry
1. FRESH @ RUBY SKYE
420 Mason Street @ Geary
www.freshsf.com

The 2009 Circuit Party WatchOut Award

H.O.M.

With the end of Matinee’ in the Catacombs of Temple, there rises a new Sunday afternoon monthly T-dance, H.O.M., presented by Luke Johnstone and Jamie J. Sanchez. Getting its kick-off on Sunday, February 1, H.O.M. introduces the gay community to Infusion Lounge, and steps up the Sunday nooners with VIP table service and exclusive DJ performers. At its launching, Grammy- nominated DJ/producers Moto Blanco of the UK bring H.O.M. home. Watch this party, boys! I think Sunday T-dances just got chic.

Sunday, February 1
InFusion Lounge
124 Ellis Street
www.homsf.com

EVENTS

For me, the year didn’t get started with fabulous events until June when we celebrated our Pride. SF Pride weekend is always a treat, and the only thing that didn’t put this event higher on my list of 2008 events was the lack of stellar entertainment on the stages. But Juanita MORE!’s absolutely fabulous pool party at the Bambuddah Lounge almost single-handedly saved the weekend for me. It’s always nice when two big promoters can join forces and bring it to us like nobody's business. Gus Presents and Luke Johnstone have done so in the past with Black XXXmas, and returned in 2008 with another hot annual event. Most of you know I have a soft spot for any event that gives back to the community, and if it is a fabulous event to boot, the more power to you! Real Bad which closes Folsom Street Fair Weekend raised over $150,000 for worthy charities and produced a helluva party. Though I, as are many, am sad to have seen the Trannyshack weekly Tuesday night club close its doors, Heklina had a send-off with the Trannyshack Kiss-Off Party in August that Kicked-Ass. But it was befitting that the year ended with the best event when 92.7 FM brought us their BLAST Anniversary Party in December. There were no stops. An Academy Award worthy VIP floor with a gold theme to make the Oscar tarnish in comparison; a who’s who list of guests and celebrities to make every notable photographer in the city come out of the woodworks; a horde of djs that spun the records round-round; and Michelle Williams, Lady Gaga, and Cyndi Lauper giving the crowd A-1 performances -- as if we were at Madison Square Gardens. If we could fast forward 2009 to the next 92.7 FM Blast, that would be just fine with me.

5. SF Pride Weekend
4. Black XXXmas
3. Real Bad
2. Trannyshack Kiss-Off Party
1. 92.7 FM BLAST ANNIVERSARY PARTY

2009 Event WatchOut Award

DREAM 

Dream, a party event to celebrate the inauguration of President Obama and raise funds for Marriage Equality happens early in the year to kick off 2009 during the Martin Luther King Weekend in January. The list of all the participants is way too long to list them all here but do include royal djs Paulo, David Harness, Andre Shannon, Hawthorne, and Pam Hubbuck and more; drag celebs Sister Roma and Charisma Glitteratti; the original fag hag Suzan Revah; dancing and vocal diva Caroline Lund; and porn superstars Scott Tanner, Damian Rios, and Ethan Wolfe... and many, many, many more. From 5p.m. until the wee afterhours of the morn, you are sure to be entertained with stellar performances, wowed by great giveaways and drink specials. All participants are giving of their time and have given up thousands in normal appearance fee money. My bet is that this event will set the tone for 2009. Be there to dream!

Sunday, January 18
The Cellar
685 Sutter @ Taylor
www.cellarsf.com

2009 GAYVN AWARDS

Returning back to the Castro Theatre after a little hiatus, NakedSword’s GayVN Awards, celebrating the best in the gay adult film industry, is expected to be a top-notch affair in March. Bringing out the top porn superstars from all over the world is the icing on the cake, but the cake itself is supported by multiple parties leading up to the weekend awards ceremony. Expect a lot of yumminess from this one.

March 2009
Castro Theatre
429 Castro Street
www.nakedsword.com

NIGHTLIFE VENUES

No matter how good the dj, no matter how grand the theatrics, no matter how sweet the crowd, if the venue ain’t right, the event ain’t right. My top 5 venues that house a large list of gay events and parties to support our nightlife in San Francisco go from the garage industrial brick of the Cat Club and Mighty, to the vintage grandness of The Regency, and to the watch tower atrium of Ruby Skye. But I like Ten15 Folsom the best for its multi-room and levels that make it conducive for almost any event. Dance floors and bars aplenty in a maze that keeps any room-to-room journey interesting. Who said long hallways were boring? Wasn’t me! It’s no wonder Ten 15 is home to many stellar events and parties that keep us coming back time and time again.

5. Cat Club
4. Mighty
3. The Regency
2. Ruby Skye
1. TEN15 FOLSOM
1015 Folsom
www.1015.com.

For more San Francisco Bay Area gay events, visit Tobygo.com.

If it's good enough for Diddy...

And now for a little something special you will come to love even more than me each week, the Ciroc Vodka drink pick of the week:

French Accent

1.5 oz Ciroc Vodka
Spash of raspberry liqueur
Splash of pineapple juice
Shake over crushed ice.
Pour in champagne flute.
Order at LookOut.

You can catch BeBe Sweetbriar at:

BRIAN FARTS Interactive Trivia Game @ LookOut 3600 Market Street, EVERY Wednesday 7:30pm-10:30pm

THE GAY Dating Game @ The MIX @ 4086 18th Street (at Castro St.), EVERY Thursday 8:00pm-10:00pm

SHOW & TELL LIVE! @ Kimo's @ 1351 Polk Street (at Pine), EVERY SECOND TUESDAY 8:00pm-10:00pm

BeBe Sweetbriar is a Drag celebrity, fundraiser, entertainer, fashionista, and columnist in San Francisco. Contact BeBe at bebesweetbriar@yahoo.com and www.myspace.com/bebesweetbriar.

Note: The information contained in Sweetbriar 5 is solely the written opinion of BeBe Sweetbriar and is not the expressed opinion of PlanetOut, Inc, Gay.com, their affiliates and advertisers.