Scandals Nightclub

I’ve been to scandals many times and I gotta say it’s my favorite club in Asheville, although I went there yesterday night and the man in the red shirt working in the little gift shop area was extremely disrespectful to me as a trans man. He referred to me as “she” many times after me and my friends kept correcting him and then he asked to take our picture then told me “I did a great job of not looking like a man” after he asked my friends, and I quote, “ITS a man??” As a trans man trying so desperately to pass, just haven’t had enough money to get top surgery and have a larger chest even in my loose fitting clothes, find this so disgusting and disrespectful. Especially since this is supposed to be a lgbtq friendly club. I’m definitely weary about coming again know this establishment lets their staff treat people as such.

Came for the NYE balloon drop night. Alright experience. The place was jam packed with people and they only had two people working the main bar, so it could take up to 20 min of standing there just to get a drink. Im very patient and dont mind waiting but I feel if they had known how many people would be there since they did pre order tickets they could have accommodated their staffing better, and the bartenders seemed very overwhelmed too. The drinks themselves were not very good I think because of that rush, to the point where I was just sipping on them because I really didnt like them but still wanted to drink. Kind of killed the vibe. Other than that the music was good and the drag show was fun. Maybe on a different night it would have been better.

Attended a show in the Boiler Room presented by midnight snack. Eli was an amazing host/performer. The cast was wonderful. Guests dressed in the theme, which was gangster, jewel heist, mystery

I had so much fun here! DJ Eric was awesome, and the bar staff was super friendly. The music had a great mix of modern songs and more nostalgic 2000s and 2010s BANGERS. Getting to dance to Every Time We Touch by Cascada definitely healed part of my inner tween. The drag performers were the highlight of the night for my group. Viktor, Nova, and Sya are incredible!My *only* critique is that I wish that there was a menu with prices available at the bar. I wasnt planning on breaking the bank on drinks, but thats my own fault for not asking 😵‍💫 Still, I had a great time and would love to come back!

Scandals is such a fun place. The staff are amazing, the drag shows are always a must see! I was there last night & today read a review from someone saying they were turned away and treated really bad by the bartender. I saw this happen around 2:30 when it was almost closing time & the bride was very disrespectful to the lady bouncer. She called her several names/cussed her out and only when she shot the bouncer a bird, did the bouncer respond back with the same attitude. I was very impressed with how the staff handled this as quickly and quietly as possible. And as far the bridal party.... They may have been 50 sheets to the wind but they’re were only maybe 15 of them. Scandals isn’t perfect, but people shouldn’t leave bad reviews without telling the whole story. A lot of us go there frequently and know the staff well. Scandals.. we love you!!!!-EDIT- LOVE the staff, carla more. Everyone is so sweet, drinks are amazing, vibes are amazing and the club is lit. 🔥

What a night! For our small bachelorette party of 4 it was perfect. The performers were flawless and the music was incredible. Drinks take a while to get but the TVs have shows to watch to keep your mind off of waiting. Definitely worth going to. You wont be disappointed!

So I just came from the Halloween costume contest and I did the scariest and I won but they didnt tell you that even though you won the scariest you didnt win anything else they didnt even call my name thats whats terrible about it. Even some of the staff said that I should have won but its rigged and its all about how much skin you show. They dont care about scary or the most creative its all about sex with this club thats all. And as a patron of this place just to let you know I will never ever be back and I will let other people know that if they want to go up there you better off going somewhere else thats just my thing

Overall good experience! Had some nice interactions with the locals there and felt very welcomed. Only complaint lies with the music.. felt like I was in middle school again at a school dance from the music selection that was being played. I think there would be a lot more people dancing if some modern music was incorporated as well.

The DJ Drew sucked, people would come in and would leave. I was one of them after waiting and hoping he would play something besides R&B. I even asked him to play something different. DJ Scott is the bomb his music style is top notch!

I uses to come here a lot when I was younger. I came last night for the studs of steel show. I can see this place hasnt updated a lot. They only a few bathroom stalls and they should add more. There were a few people in line waiting for the bathroom. This place needs a lot renovation and updating. It hasnt changed when I used to come here. So hopefully they make some changes.

Super disappointed with the experience I had here as a non-binary trans person. I was heading to the women’s SINGLE STALL bathroom because that’s where I feel more comfortable (I didn’t know at the time that there was a gender neutral bathroom upstairs) and a male security officer stopped me and told me to go to the men’s room. I told him I’m non-binary and he kept telling me I had to use the men’s room. Finally I literally yelled at him “I have a v*gina, this is the bathroom I want to use” and still he wouldn’t let me go in. More security came and some woman who acted confused and said “yeah I don’t know what to do in this situation” and when I got upset and said “this is a queer bar - y’all need to have better training” she responded “it’s not a queer bar, it’s a queer-friendly bar.” Well it wasn’t being very friendly. It caused a huge scene and myself and my friends were super upset. Finally I caved and went to the other restroom. The one silver lining was that the manager found me later and said I could use whatever bathroom I wanted, which was super nice of him. But still - the staff here need better training, period. That was so unacceptable. Especially because literally all the bathrooms are single stalls… there shouldn’t even be genders on them at all.

Scandals claims to be a gay friendly club and yet they thought it was appropriate to harass my non-binary friend when they went to use the *SINGLE STALL* women’s restroom.The drag show was fun and the queens were great but I can’t in good faith recommend this establishment as a safe place for queer folks.Scandals, do better and make sure your team is appropriately trained to make sure everyone feels safe and accepted.

This is a place for bachelorette parties and girls night out. Nothing gay about this place other than a drag performance. If you’re a gay man traveling don’t waste your time going here. I may also add rude bartender and staff with exception of checkin ladies

Terrible service. Came here with a group a friends for a 21st birthday and they came after our trans friend and kicked out our entire group out after attempting to keep the wrong debit card of our DD (simple mistake but they chose violence) they pushed him to the ground and 2 bouncers laid their hands on a group of 6 girls who were protecting 1 male. All we wanted was a cell phone dropped at the entrance- not even IN the bar. Overall u professional, rude, sexist, and unfriendly. Do not recommend.

I was at the club this weekend Saturday night and I did not like the DJ at all. The music was horrible, I would have liked to hear more up to date upbeat music, not something I heard in middle school and high school, everything else at the club was great, but the dj , drew I think, was awful..

Really cool spot but main dj was not the vibe, unfortunately. Lots of sad music remixed vibes. Had a good time overall but was disappointed by the dj, outdated payment system and very weird thirst trap tik tok compilation of underaged boys playing on their tv 😳

Welcoming establishment celebrating positive self recognition for the LGBT community. Went for the first time during their annual pageant and had a blast. This place clearly fosters close bonds and has a great sense of community.

The lady taking the cover and checking ids is Rude. If you’re standing inline before 11 to get in you should only have to pay the 5.00 cover.We waited for her to check ids and take cover from 6 people in front of us. It was 11:03 when we got to the window. Nice first impression Asheville. So far not impressed.Explains the 3.5

There was unfortunately a shooting on the street outside of this place last night which involved multiple people being injured (unsure if this place was targeted or just close by), some drunk folks inside started acting a fool and being violent trying to get outside. The staff handled the situation wonderfully. Restraining the aggressive people, keeping everyone else calm and informed. They were giving waters out to people to keep them hydrated and safe and calm. Even before the chaos and tragedy, everyone here was so friendly and the atmosphere was great. My friend and I went to multiple bars before this one which were very cishet and predatory, we weren’t able to just dance and enjoy ourselves unlike here. I’ll definitely be returning and recommending to other people. The drag show was a lot of fun as well!

Staff is rude and unprofessional preferably the bouncers aren’t the nicest, they accused my 26 year old boyfriend of being underage after inquiring about renting out the place for a party, they refused to let my 21 year old friend inside the club because he got sick the last time he was there, it’s overall just not the nicest place and shouldn’t be so uptight for what it is. Also the music is outdated and overrated they really need to hire new staff and a new DJ.

Watch where you park. Homeless people slash tires right outside of the club. Other than that, security at the door and dance floor makes it easy to feel safe. Music was pretty good.

My college friends and I were meeting up in Asheville for the weekend, one of the main things we were excited about was going to scandals for the night as it’s usually one of our favorite clubs. We’re walking down the path to the bar and the bouncer asks to search our bags. We have no problem with this and comply, in my bag I had a tiny bottle of water. He says no outside drinks are allowed, totally reasonable, so I proceed to just chug it as he gave no further instructions or indication that was not what I should do. The bouncer then repeatedly stated “have a good night” as if he’s turning us away. We’re genuinely confused and think he’s joking at first. We asked him what happened and he just says we were rude. We did nothing else and that was our only interaction with him. All we were trying to do was have a good time and dance. This guy was obviously on a power trip and wanted to ruin a fun night for some girls. I don’t believe that this bouncer is a good representation of the club itself as I’ve always had a great time in there.

I spent my 18th birthday party here and loved every second of it!! The best place I could have imagined for my first clubbing experience!

We went to Scandals for a drag show to celebrate a bachelorette party! We had a BLAST! The DJ had us dancing beforehand with some amazing tunes, the bartenders were awesome and made such delicious drinks but the Queens were freaking amazing! We had a blast cheering them on, singing with them and of course throwing them some money for those kicks, spits and overall talent! Will definitely be back next time were in Asheville!

Had a really great time here!! Night clubs arent normally my style, but I had a really great time here. The staff/owners were great and really helped me out when I had left my wallet there the night before. Would definitely recommend this place if youre looking for fun while on vacation!

The bald headed bartender is the rudest person I have ever met. I was tipping very well and buying drinks for the performers. Not sure why he got so mad but he slap a beer out of my hand. Very unprofessional. If you have that much anger find a new job. We will see if we ever go back.

We were in Asheville for the weekend and trying to find a place to go that didn’t close super early like all the other places, when we stumbled upon this place. The reviews were absolutely glowing. We thought there was no way that this place could be that great. It absolutely was! Best night of my life! Great drag show, great atmosphere, great club!

We were only in Asheville for one night, and got the recommendation to come here from a local. Highly recommended! I was not drinking, but still enjoyed the multiple vibes in the different areas, never saw anyone get rowdy, and the staff was honestly the best Ive ever experienced. You guys did an amazing job of showing us what Asheville has to offer, and I cant wait to come back!

Didnt like how the staff handled my card being declined. I ordered drinks bartender swiped card it declined, I was treated like I was trying to stiff them on the drinks I didnt get. The card was declined because it was an unusual transaction. It ruined my otherwise awesome night! The show was awesome! Cant wait until Halloween!

Absolutely magnificent, it is the most fun Ive ever had out in my life. Lol not for the faint of heart ( straight men) because their are drag shows some nights, and the club specifically caters to the LGBTQ community, but straight people are welcome. Id definitely come back for something like a bachelorette party or to celebrate my birthday.

The staff is unprofessional and has racist undertones. My friends and I wanted waters. We went to a female bartender who was on her phone at the bar, as it was not busy. My friend asked for some water and the bartender cussed him out. We made a complaint to the manager and he poorly handled the situation by defending her actions. He said “that’s just the way she is and I can’t fire her”. If you’re a visitor in Asheville, just skip this bar.

Nice club. Better than most for a small city. Very diverse crowd. Many gay, lesbian, mostly under 30 yrs old. DJ was fair. Heres a tip for the DJ, if people arent dancing, play different music until people do dance. Ill go back.

They turned away our entire wedding party at 2am. They said they were cleaning the place our and it was clear that it was our clientele only, even though we were 50 people strong and I was in a wedding dress. The bartender even gave me the middle finger. They completely ruined our wedding evening.

I love the people and the drag shows are always to die for but I HATE the music its ALWAYS techno and it last the whole night so you cant dance. When you suggest a song the DJs ignore you and get offended if you ask for a different type of music. If the music was better the club would be unstoppable. But until then its hard to enjoy yourself before and after the drag shows. Theres so much promise if this club catered to other types of music.

Great place, friendly people, very welcoming, bartenders are friendly, drinks are priced well, love the drag show and a great variety house music. I see alot of comments about techno. I have never heard any techno played. Been going to Scandals for 7 years for nearly every weekend. Scandals is the only big room club in Asheville. Great place to dance to top 40, house and EDM. This is the place to be on a Friday and Saturday.

DJ Eric Scott literally killed it that other night! Best DJ in town…I have been to scandals before but the other night was definitely the best vibes I have felt in a long time!!!

The staff creep on all the younger women i have a feeling shady stuff goes on there and the staff is also just blatantly rude

$12 entry fee. Been there twice. Honestly its a better experience than other clubs around. Would have given it 5 stars but in 2nd visit the songs were not up to the mark.!

We went with a bachelorette group and had a great time! I lost my credit card there and the security guard went out of his way to search for it, have me write my info down and then when he found it the next day he mailed it to me!! So nice. There are still good people out there!!

I went to scandals last night, for the first time in a long time. We saw 8 bachelorette parties, all with their super masculine “straight” counterparts, all making us queer people feel super uncomfortable. Give us our space back! All the staff seems to be way to hetero for this to be a gay bar. Every. Single. Song. Was at least 10 years old. The most heterosexual “gay bar” I have ever experienced. They even had straight people on all the tvs, touching each other and being all sexy, or whatever. WE WANT TO SEE MEN! Bring the gay back to the gay bar. Fags want fags. Lots will have to change before I think about giving my money to them again. Very very very sad. :(

Scandals is an amazing club genuinely for everyone. The performances are top quality and all of the queens and kings are super friendly and approachable. Ive always enjoyed going out to even just socialize with some of the staff.

Nice club, friendly people. But dont waste your time on the contests. We went to the Halloween Contest last night and it was a complete setup. There was a guy in the audience instructing people who to cheer for. You could watch this large group of people looking at him (off to the side, but still elevated) for the yea/nay sign. It was pretty disappointing to watch.

Best gay-friendly nightclub in Asheville. If dancing isnt your thing go chill in the back bar with a different music scene. Get your Glo-gear in their little store! Cool vibes always!

I leave one star only to be able to review this establishment. We spent a total of $70 to get into this “club” and my friend bought a round of shots shortly after getting in. I don’t do well with shots but obliged because my friend bought them. I stayed close to the garbage can bc I wanted to make sure that if I couldn’t handle the shot, I would be able to “get rid” of it. All was good and we continued to the dance floor. I worked up a sweat and ordered a water at the bar. The bartender misunderstood me and apparently gave me a vodka drink. Honest mistake. I chugged it, thinking it was water, and got sick immediately. I ran to the garbage can and threw up. Then to the restroom to finish throwing up. Not the bartenders fault at all but an unfortunate event non the less. I came out only to find the bouncer, who had been stalking our group the whole night, had kicked my friends out. I was told to leave bc I was “too drunk”. Mind you, I’m writing this 15 mins after we were kicked out. I had a total of one fireball shot and half of a vodka and coke drink. And the accidental vodka, of course. The bouncer and his minion followed our group outside only to chastise us and tell us how drunk we were and how his bartenders wouldn’t EVER give away vodka... I have never been so embarrassed and insulted in my life. I will never come back to this low class establishment and will do everything to let any and all of my friends to know just how seedy this place is. Enjoy your bottom shelf vodka you mma wannabes.

Do not give cups of water. Have to spend $3 for a bottle. On top of that their drag shows start on time, which isnt necessarily a bad thing, but Ive never in all 4 of my gay years heard of a drag show starting less than 30 min late... Unimpressed.Also I also got harrased by the bouncer for using the UNLABLED womens bathroom as a man.Also my bartender made the drink wrong and then when I told him I had ordered something else he told me that he would just get it right the next time and still charge me for the wrong drink lol.

We paid $10 each to get in, the least you could do was give us free ice water. Dance floor was never closed to full, so many people sitting. Drinks at least $6 each.

Went here for my 21st birthday and LOVED IT. I got a birthday drink and the dragshow was amazing all around. The MC announced my birthday during the dragshow because my aunt called in abs asked. Best night ever.

The physical space is pretty great with dancefloor, platforms and seating. But honestly the DJ I experienced sucked and played the electric slide as well as some other group dance song. Very disappointing, made me shake my head and leave. the music was not on point.

I came to work with some Drag kings as a part of a school project. I was graciously welcomed and treated well. The queens were even interested in the project amd helped out. The quality of the entertainment is incredible. Ive studied Drag for many years now in both an academic setting as well as being a Drag performer amd rarely am I this impressed. The shows are run in such a way that it promotes and encourages new talent while showcasing the home cast amd highlighting out of town guests. ALL of their entertainers perform putstanding numbers and you can see the growth in mew talent as they work with the more experienced queens at Scandals. They even have a Drag King show thats been running for a year now and it follows that same structure which has been the key to its success. The performers have also atested to the fact that they are treated well which is further incentive for me to support their shows and club. Thats why I chose this club for my project and why I cannot wait to go back for their shows.I cannot speak to the bars, music, or DJs that are listed in previous reviews since I was only their for Drag so unfortunately I have to leave kt at that for my review. I hope youve found this helpful.

Worst club ever!! Website says top 40 and all they play is techno! I asked the dj to play something other than techno and he told me to go to my car and listen to the radio...I told him you cant dance to techno and he proceeded to grind on me and told me he has been doing it for over 40 years! Ive never seen so many people sit in a club before...worst experience ever! Wouldnt recommend to anyone!!! Dont go to scandals

I always have a positive experience at this place… Lots of events and never boring at all! The girls are beautiful and love to bring my girlfriends and or anybody I love and have a fabulous time! Can’t wait to come on New Year’s Eve!

Asked the dj to play certain songs for my best friend it was her bachelorette party totally blew me off, 10.00 for everyone to get in we stayed for like 10 mins at the most, i feel like ashvilles bar scene sucks, we could of wwnt to myrtle beach and had a way better experience.

They always have the same three performers , and they are tired and busted doing the same spilt over and over and over again. Other wise great they need new QUEENS.

We purchased tickets for the new years party and will never make that mistake again. The entire place was overly packed. It took over an hour to get a drink. They seriously overbooked the venue and didnt have the staff to accommodate. Worst new years experience ever.

We had a great time dancing and ran into some cool people. Drag show was weak but overall it was a good time.

Awesome Music and people. Water costs a little much for me. As all freepeople believe water should be free! Ill come back when I have more monies for the fun offered. Sorry I smelt bad last time lol

Everything. A great place to meet friend on a weekend!FYI. shazam0572 They are called spotters. With 2000 people in the building its only fair to have three people judging the peoples choice.

Great little gay bar in Asheville

Atmosphere was terrible.Not a great experience walking into the place either. Rude staff.

A totally awesome experience me and my fiance loved the different levels of clubs we danced the night away cant wait until till next time we go back.

$10 cover, $6 for a drink in a small plastic cup (they charge for water too), packed full of forty year old straight women and excessive straight PDA. Id only go to see the drag, not to drink or dance

DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR ID. They WILL lose them. This place acts professional with all the Security but to take IDs to just give them to the wrong people is hella unprofessional!

Great vibes! The drinks and entry fee are a lil bit more than most places around here but its worth it.

Unless you like the piano bar scene this is the go to place. If you are homophobic this is not the place for you. Gay or not it is a great place to let loose and fun for all.

Music was meh... Curly-haired bouncer had an unwarranted attitude problem. (Other staff was great)

This club needs to be shut down. George Sprinkle, the head of security, assaulted my friend, threatened her and attempted to sue her for trespassing when we had paid to get in and left when asked to leave. This club should be shut down.

If you wanna go have allot of fun in an Awesome Dance Atmosphere Definitely Go to Scandals Straight Gay all Excepted. Love this Place.

The absolute worst club I have ever been to, $12 to get in, $10 for a drink, the absolute worst techno music you’ve ever heard, and looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years, any other club in Asheville would be a better time

Disregard the anti-fun shills , place is a blast and an iconic feature of the community. Its cannon. Check mate atheists

Been a standard for 32 years.Best DJs,Bartenders,Door,Security n House Cast in the South!!!

Use to work there when art had it loved it so many sexy men and cute boys

There for post covid opening night! Love it! Drag show ruled. Get a new MC.

Would not refund entrance fee to friends after leaving due to inaccurate information on website. Was also rude.

Great drag shows on weekends. Drinks are about 7.00 each.

Halloween was HYPE af, thx scandals for making the night worth it

Go see Scott the bartender ! He’s the best!

Woodstock 99 rap and a lot of Bachelorette parties lost in a Disco.:;,☮️

The lighting outside is terrible. There is no management staff. Service is great!

We had a blast we will defiantly go back when we are in North Carolina again

Well it’s a gay bar but filled with 90% women and their bachelorette parties...

As a gay guy, I have to say that scandals desperately needs to change management. It’s a complete failure.

The music is hit or miss. Its sometimes a fun place to go dancing.

Good music. Good crowd. Fun group. Mostly gay.

Party tonight. Good vibes. Amazing Music

Could make a lot more money with Rap DJ.....

Clean, great music and dance floor.

Great and friendly staff plus pumping atmosphere

The most fun place in all of Asheville

Great music, drinks & shows!

Great atmosphere love the music

Great place and great Staff.

Its a Scandal alright, Everytime I Go!

Fun time good people xD

Love love love this place good times kids

The liquid marijuana is amazing!!

Nope. Drugs and queens. Save your money!!

Scandals is a garbage dump.

Dancing !

Great, friendly, smart

Love this place

The place is very good the best brands of clothing and footwear