Flashback was not only Edmonton’s first gay disco, at its peak it was named one of the top ten nightclubs in North America for its impressive music selection, incredible sound system, and dance floor that doubled as a stage.
Established in 1974, it was also the first gay club in Edmonton that was open to friends and allies of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Founder John Reid’s vision for Flashback was “a place for human beings to accept one another. It is a place for those questioning their sexualities to feel comfortable in. An outlet that’s easier to come out in… I wanted to give every individual the right to party and bring in anyone they wanted to party with. When you want parity in a society, you can’t expect total privacy.”
Flashback was located in what is now the Excelsior Lofts. This location was Flashback’s second and most iconic space, operating between 1978 and 1990. Over the dozen years it was in operation, this location also served as the centre of Edmonton’s drag community, the first meeting space of the ‘found-ins’ arrested in the 1981 Pisces bathhouse raid, and the site of one of many community meetings when HIV/AIDS pandemic hit the city.
Learn more about Flashback by visiting the Edmonton Queer History Project.
