This is the spot Faces might look more poppin but promise the wait in line isn't going to be worth. Don't know if she's still there but one fateful experience with one particular security guard was enough to turn me and my friends away from this place forever. Not making this up, see the other reviews for that place. Anywayy, Badlands is awesome and I've never had a bad experience here. Depot is also right next to it and attached so go in one and you can get to the other. Diff vibes for both but both chill af. Cheap drinks to pregame and end your night with. They also accept card now. Never had the food so can't speak to it. But this isn't where you come for food anyway Happy Pride yall read more

we came here for a birthday but they were predjudice against my group of POC. we talked to them about the concern but they were incredibly dismissive. do not recommend as they were discriminatory. read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Honestly one of the best bars I've been to. The music was perfect, the drinks were priced great, & the vibes in general were amazing! Definitely will be coming back here when I visit again. read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

I regret to say this, but it has happened multiple times. I'm not sure what you mix or replace in your alcohol, but it often doesn't taste as it should. For instance, Tito's vodka tastes completely different. I haven't had a drink yet, but my first sip made me feel like I was drugged. I even had my friend taste it to confirm if it was Tito's, and everyone agreed that it wasn't. This has happened to me a few times, and I feel like this should be investigated. It's not acceptable! People react differently to certain alcohols. It's truly unethical. read more

We don't come to Badlands too often, but when we do it's typically for a special event. They have different shows, watch parties and entertainment scheduled and these are typically well attended. On our latest visit we attended a Drag Race watch party and it was a lot of fun. The drinks were a good price and the staff was friendly. It does get very hot in here in the summer. Consider bringing a fan, and enjoying more iced beverages to stay hydrated. read more

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They take advantage of intoxicated people by charging the amount + tip and then charge the tip again. I always put amounts into my budget spreadsheet and everytime the transaction processes I was like... I know I wasn't drunk to input it wrong. I finally remembered to take a picture. They're doing it to everyone. Take pics of your receipts. Can't imagine how much they racked up taking double every tip. Class action waiting to happen. In addition to that, they don't give the appropriate discounts. My friend was wearing leather on one of the discount days and the bar tender charged regular price and said "I didn't even know that was going on." Sure bud zero stars if I could. read more

Badlands - Shady! You guys do this all the time! - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Community wise it's always fun, cool people to hang out with, but omg do they need to change the music. No one wants to pay a $20 cover to have to listen to Taylor Swift and Chapelle Roan or Kpop on the dance floor. Some nights can be hit or miss but there are just nights where the music sucks. It'd be cool if they played more classic club hits, techno and house. Still like going cuz crowd is fun and I usually end up now going on Latin weekend nights since there's a better change of a good playlist read more

I've been here twice and had a great experience both times. I'm a huge introvert except when I'm ready to dance and be crazy jajaja. Me and my friend were first on the dancefloor and we weren't shy or uncomfortable in the slightest. Everyone there is super nice, patrons and staff alike. They keep a watchful eye so nothing weird happens, either. Place is relatively clean, drinks are quality, and the patio/second story is a great place to take a breather. WAYY better than Mango's. Also, they have the best drag events in the Lavender District. read more

Badlands - Second level view of dancefloor - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

I LOVE GAY PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! its cute and a must go for anyone in the LGBTQ+ inclusive community, especially on Thursdays if you're not too big on a big packed club night. I love my amfs. read more

best espresso martinis in sac. Ask for Abel . Music was great, would definitely come back. read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Extremely weird vibes from the bouncers and security for absolutely no reason. I have never in my life had an issue with security and they were aggressive and inappropriate throughout our entire time in the club. Ruined any potential this spot had for a comfortable good time. read more

Great place to have drinks relax or dance if you want to but that being said do not come when Helen Heels or Liv are hosting the drag show it becomes a not safe nor welcoming place and bullying will commence. Who would have thought in the gay community you would not be embraced based on your race. We're all in this together read more

Came back last night after almost a year break and nothings changed. We ordered drinks, one of them in a can. Bartender opened the can and there was a lot of pressure in the can so the drink spilled out onto the counter. It was 1/3 empty because of the spill. We asked for a new one and the bartender got a new one...then motioned forward as if to say, "keep that can," so I gave a generous tip, then when we tried to walk away, he snatched the spilled drink from us. Good customer service would've been to let us keep the drink, right? Later we left and came back to enter and were told that one of my friends was banned. We had no idea why...then security realized they were talking about someone else. Rudeness for no reason. At least at the other two bars around the corner the security staff and bartenders are friendly and customer service centered. read more

Came here on a random Thursday night with some friends for a local drag show, and it was such a fun time! They had $5 long islands and a drag show at like 11& 12 I believe. So much fun! read more

I always feel very safe at Badlands as, compared to "straight" clubs. No weird issues happening around that bathrooms, never witnessed a fight, everyone dances together, the bartenders are VERY friendly, and the security are respectful. I always make a few friends. I am a straight woman who has gone with boh straight women and straight men, and they have a great time too. I have two young adult daughters who now go there as well and they feel safest there than any other clubs they have gone to. read more

Don't come here and waste ur money on them security is nothing but rude and think they above themselves same with the manager

Security was horrible and I felt very uncomfortable being there so I left. The bartenders weren't friendly and ignored me.

The Dj is literally the worst ever. To begin with, the music he was playing was trash. Absolutely no one even near the dance floor, it was boring as a DJ you have to READ THE ROOM! Anyways, my friend asked him for a song request and he literally rolled his eyes and shoo'd her away and when I went he did the same thing but even more attitude and just being rude AF. Like damn if you don't wanna be here I can hop on and show you how it's done. NO ONE IS VIBING CHANGE THE DAMN MUSIC . For Badlands being a prominent gay club in Sacramento, yall need a new DJ. I can't believe you allow your workers to treat patrons like trash shooing us as if we were flies, all you had to say was "No, I dont take requests," ITS THAT SIMPLE! Everyone in there was saying the same thing very disappointing especially from a gay club where gays are supposed to be able to feel free in our own space. Instead we getting disrespected by our own people, that's crazy. Mind you we never said anything mean or disrespectful to the DJ before or after, we asked very politely and when he was rude we just walked away we didn't even want to interact with that thing and give him the satisfaction of us getting kicked out, we just left. But I'm here to let all the gays know that music here is not good. Don't waste your time especially if the same DJ is there. This happened on Sunday August 2nd. I wish I would have gotten the wannabe Dj's name. If I could give 0 stars I would. read more

Warning: thieves are actively stealing from drunk people here, and security either ignores it or doesn't care. My friend needed some juice to steady his blood sugar, but security shoved us out and refused to let him take one step inside to drink the juice or let me take the juice one step outside the door so he drinks it. And zero concern for safety, just attitude. Be careful at this place--especially if you're visiting. read more

Over 5 years later and have still never gone back. I went there every week practically since the day they opened and the depot for over 20 years. That's many many $$$ I have not spent there. Not even a word from the management. Judging by many of the other reviews not much has changed. I am glad to never go back to such a horrible place. Take my advice and go elsewhere if you would rather not be treated like crap. You deserve better than this place! read more

Badlands - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Simply put. Everytime they hire new employees they fail to properly train them. They follow veterans for existing, and fail to acknowledge their mistake. Ifnyou have no appeal process then you're sh*t. read more

The last good gay bar in midtown!! We always have a good time here and much better than Faces. Go to the merc though if you want a strong drink read more

This club is so much fun. I love the low lights in there, it makes it intimate. Prepare to pay a fee to get in, they accept CASH only, but they have an ATM inside if you only have card. The fee is usually $20. If you go before a certain time you only pay $10, sometimes it's free, it really depends what day and time you go. The music in here is so good, they also have a lounge area upstairs and outside in case you don't want to be on the dance floor all night. The drinks here are super strong, they're also cheap though, which is a dangerous combination. You will be drunk off two drinks and will want to buy more because of how good and cheap they are! I love this location so much more than the San Francisco location. Parking is not hard to find, but expect the area to be busier on Friday and Saturday nights. read more

I'm new to Sacramento and this was one of the best clubbing experiences I've had! The bartenders were very nice!

Always an amazing dance spot huge dance floor the DJ play great music the bar always full and ready. Love the place best drag queen shows. read more

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Badlands is an institution, this post is solely to draw attention to a crowd control problem. The goal of a major Drag Race debut should be to enjoy the performance, but there are so many people here tonight it's three or four rows deep. The place is a mess, violating fire code with people on the stairs, people on stools and chairs, just way, way too packed. To management, please ticket for big events, and announce tickets weeks ahead of time, with excess capacity sold at the door. We paid $50 to see Sasha Colby and the best view we'll have had tonight is her walk from the meet and greet to the entrance while we waited in line. The bar can still make money with pre-sales, and at least everyone knows they'll be able to actually see the performance. To be clear, we paid $50 to see a performance and physically could not tonight. Looking forward to the meet and greet at Faces in two weeks, however ‍‍ read more

Badlands - Too many people - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Went here for my birthday and will never come here again. My friends and i were all having an amazing time until at one point, I was walking down the stairs (which were wet and slippery) and slipped/fell . Did the security ask if I was okay? Nope. What did they do instead? They immediately kicked me out because apparently I was a "liability." I tried respectfully to explain that the stairs were wet (with no wet sign) but they didn't let me talk and escorted me out as if I was being a belligerent drunk. Fun night ruined by horrible security and customer service. I will be spreading the word about this - no establishment should condone this type of behavior from the staff. read more

Excellent Ceremony for the Imperial Court of Sacramento for CGNIE hosted by BADLANDS in the heart of Midtown Sacramento. SITREP BADLANDS is a very hip hapnin club-venue that besides having one of the best dance club environments - including the best gay dance venue in town - is also is a dynamic venue for hosting events featuring local charitable causes. THE SETUP The CGNIE or Court of the Great NorthWest Imperial Empire, is a local charitable organization whose purpose is to support the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender communities through its donations to recognized HIV/AIDS, social services, and youth support organizations and serving those communities. CGNIE also further promote positive awareness of the ideals of the International Court System of which they are proud members. It features a number of chapters throughout the United States. https://www.facebook.com/CGNIE.ORG IMPERIAL COURT The Imperial Court is the VERY regal title that the Officers of CGNIE give themselves to describe their "court" for each year after their recent elections! Always an event with much fanfare, it is celebrated with LOTS of drinks, karaoke and DRAG and other fun performances by everyone present. THE LOWDOWN Badlands is an exceptional venue to host the VERY exciting events of the CGNIE Imperial Court! read more

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A fun and memorable experience! The dancers were incredible and added a lot of fun to the atmosphere and the drinks were strong and tasty. Most importantly, security took their job seriously without putting a damper on things And should you get overwhelmed you can always take a nice quiet break in the upstairs lounge which has its own bar and comfortable seating as well as an outdoor balcony. In addition all the other club go-ers were consent queens, always asking and taking no for an answer. A safe and exciting place to spend a Friday night! 10/10 read more

Badlands - Wrist stamps - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

Decided to give it another try. And it was even worse than before. There was 5 of us- after dinner we got in a super long like. $20 cash cover while the inside was empty but why the big line? Maybe a strategy to get more people? The big thing that upset up was that the one black friend that was with us and the only black person in line was denied entry (for being intoxicated?) total lie - she was the most sober out of all of us. This was completely race targeted. She did not want to make a big deal and ruin our fun so she left. After paying that ridiculous cover we came inside to the same boring top 40s music. Does the manager or the DJ not have any idea of any other music out there? Maybe they need to hire a younger DJ to add variety. The bartender was nice but by this point the fact that our friend was not let in for bogus reason had ruined our night. Later as we tried to dance straight creepy men were being very pushy toward these girls dancing next to us and asked us for help. Long story short this place is a complete mess - Sacramento deserves better. read more

Love LOVE coming here with my friends!! The vibe is immaculate! Always high energy and great music playing. I can dance my butt off all night if I had the chance. Staff/bartenders are great as well. Theres an upstairs area to order drinks and sit down at as well if downstairs gets crowded. Not to mention an outdoor drink area as well if you get too hot. And of course, cant forget those Gogo dancers!! read more

We went to Badlands to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow Ru Paul Drag Race watchers. Had a great time. Drinks were really good. Staff on point. We stayed for the local drag show which was also good. The thing that ruined it was the put downs of white people and the political comments of stopping the genocide. As a person of the white color, why would I want to go and get attacked. I guess as a gay man, I want to feel welcomed by my fellow gay family. Certainly not to have the division from the outside world brought in and thrown in my face. It's drag, why's it gotta be about race. read more

Badlands - Scenery - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

First of all, WOAH. My friends & I first & probably our last time here. We noticed many people dancing on the boxes on the dance floor (many were white women). My friend waited her turn & when the two girls who were up there finally got down, my friend (Native American) went up, the security guard told her to "get the fuck off!". He was extremely aggressive & was speaking to her as if he had repeatedly asked her to get down. POWER TRIP!! This wouldn't be an issue if he asked respectfully, we paid to get in, we paid for their services. NOT TO BE DISRESPECTED. He then began to harass a man near us & was cursing & was just being extremely hostile. Everyone who was near us was just watching him in disgust & confusion because he was acting crazy! Don't know if he thought he could intimidate us because we were women? Power trip was insane. read more

Badlands - Security guard who was being extremely hostile & aggressive towards guests. POWER TRIP!! - Dance Clubs Near Me - Sacramento, California

DO NOT GO TO THE BAR UPSTAIRS they're hella rude to you when you order water. I ordered so many drinks at the other bars IN THE CLUB and then when I try to chill at the upstairs bar they give me so much attitude when I just order water to try to sober up/not throw up. I still gave them tip after the second round because I know how hard their job is but they will give you attitude just fyi. read more

Employees and security staff are often more inebreheted than the people they are supposed to be protecting, we have reported on multiple occasions the use of hard drugs in their bathrooms and nothing was ever done about it, not even stepping into the bathroom to check it out. Very sleazy and sad club. With the employees running around like they own the place either drunk or on something not a good experience. Drag shows are great still support just going where I feel more comfortable and protected read more

stopped by while in town on work. people were rude and not welcoming. drinks were mid at best. also smelled like a dirty bar towel. too many more inclusive options. read more

I visited Badlands for the first time on Thursday, 1/12/23. I loved how there wasn't a cover charge to get in that day. The music was very awesome. Everyone was super friendly and fun. Overall, I enjoyed the vibes. From now on, this will be my go-to club. read more

Came on a Thursday night, had a good exchange with the front. As we were making our way, a rude lady with a mullet stopped our party and said the only woman in our group was "overserved and swaying". Not only is this incorrect, it's sexist. Which is comical for a gay bar. We went across the street to Mango and Faces and had a great night. Don't waste your time or money here. EDIT: after checking out other 1 star reviews of their blatant racism too, forgot to mention my friend targeted is Asian. read more

I love this place, it's always fun and I highly recommend coming for the drag race viewing parties and the live drag shows.

My favorite club in Sac! Always a good time. The staff is beautiful, friendly and fun. Also they're very good at keeping things safe. I've seen reviews from people complaining about security, they're doing their job people! If you were denied entry because of your fake ass ID, they scan them, so its not them being dicks. If you got kicked out for being too tipsy, that's for YOUR safety and the clubs as well. The music is fun, the gogos are amazing and there's plenty of space for dancing or chill. There's 3 bars, patio, couches on the mez and good vibes. Plus! You get a bonus bar with The Depot attached. What's there not to like?! read more