GH Hotel (Greyhound Hotel)

New owners have given this old stalwart of the Melbourne scene a bit of a fancy facelift. Out goes the old crusty rock bar that once co-habited peacefully, replaced with a much more glittery gay bar to match the infamous Saturday night club shenanigans. These days the cocktails are far more complex than Jack and Coke. Enjoy Wednesday drag bingo, Thursday karaoke, with the sexy and amazing Boylesque show on Fridays, and then a tad more drag with three live shows during Saturday's Classic extravaganza. They’re also experimenting with special events and themed nights. The beer's cheap, and so are the boys.

Five reasons to get to the GH Hotel:

Bingo Au Go-Go

If you thought bingo was a bit daggy, you’ve clearly never been to drag bingo. Luckily the twisted and silly Connie Lingus hosts Bingo Au Go-Go on Wednesday nights at the GH. Connie drops her balls around 7.30pm, maybe 8pm (remember, you have to take Drag Time into account), and the fun and prizes begins. With free entry, it’s a very cheap night out.

The Weakest Twink and Superstar Karaoke

Thursday nights offer double the fun, or double the humiliation, depending on how talented you are. At 8pm, get your brains going with host Nathan Little and his screen trivia game show, The Weakest Twink. Ripped off from Perez Hilton's blog, this is trivia at its most cutthroat. And then from 9.30pm, sign up for your chance to belt out a show tune in the Superstar karaoke competition, hosted by Jade Leonard. And again, it’s all free.

Boylesque

Of course, Friday night is the big night at the GH, starting off with Tabitha Turlington’s Friday Night Project in the front bar at 9pm and 10pm. It’s a good way to start your weekend, and a great warm up for the Boylesque show on the main stage from 11.30pm. Choreographer Jason Coleman has some of the sexiest dancing boys – and drag queens – performing two over-the-top shows. It’s free entry before 9.30pm and $15 afterwards. After the shows, dance in either room and stagger home when it closes at 3am. Perfect.

A Classic Saturday Night

Saturday nights are even bigger than ever these days, with two drag shows at 11.30pm and 1am, hosted by Millie Minogue and featuring new performers, old hands like Paris, and dancers ahoy. International drag DJ Kitty Glitter spins the tunes, along with resident DJ Mark Robbo and plenty of others. Get there before 9.30 for free entry, or pay only $10 before $10.30pm.

Dinner!

Did you know that the GH Hotel isn’t just a bar and nightclub – it has a kitchen as well! That means that you can start your night’s entertainment on a full tummy. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm, they offer nightly specials (Wednesday is $12 parma and pot night, $20 Porterhouse steaks Thursdays and burger and chips for $12 on Friday nights). It’s a good way to fuel up, especially if there’s drinking and dancing involved. Which is a given, really.