This is probably my favorite club in the area. Staff are always friendly and courteous. Anne-Marie in the back knows what drinks I like. Her drinks are also consistently mixed evenly  Not sure I'm a fan of the DJ that was playing for the Black & White party. But I don't go often enough to be overly familiar with who is DJing theses days. Parking is tight, however there is plenty of on street/other "venue" parking to be found.  There is quite a bit of space for dancing and a back patio for smoking. I also greatly appreciate that there aren't sports/news being played on the TV's unlike many other bars. You can usually find a pretty diverse group of people which can be good or bad. But for the most part everyone is pretty friendly. Will hopefully be going back soon!
Review Source:This place is awful. Â My biggest complaint was that the restroom was extremely unsanitary and in poor condition. Â The stalls' doors were taken off and the toilets inside were wired shut - what if someone wanted privacy? Â The workers were rude and had poor attitudes the entire night. Â I will not be going back.
Review Source:I've been going here for a month on Tues. night since I've moved here. Yes I said tueday cuz its the goth/industrial club. The only one in the area. Being that I grew up outside of NY and was a regular in the scene there and went to Philly too... I wasn't expecting much from an "off night" at the local gay bar. But I was wrong. Just don't get there at 10! The large dance floor in the front starts out old school goth and 80s then goes onto industrial. The back room plays a lot of heavy rock and 8os, 90s goth and more offbeat tracks. And they keep playing the friggin True Blood theme, LOL! Best drinks are from the smaller bar. Hey its not NY... but I've never lived this close to a nightclub I actually wanted to dance at. Everyone knows each other too.. and I you are a bit on the "eldergoth" side and wear velvet gowns... you might feel outta place as it is over-run with "kindegoth" graver types and cyber punks. Just the fact that its 18+ and glow sticks are allowed is strange to me. Giving ot 5+ cuz of the area its in.
Review Source:I have been going here since being 18. Â I mean it can't compete with the major city night clubs but it does a damn good job for the area it's in. Â You have two different rooms with one being your techno like music and the other your top mainstream hits. Drink are expensive compared to dc but other than that it's a good gay friendly place that has been stable over the years!!
Review Source:The Wave is the local college/twink gay dance club. It has the rare quality of not being pretentious. The guys are friendly and the music in the back bar is top 40 and fun to dance to. The front large dance floor is house music and not my style. The wave is really only fun on Thursdays ("80's night".. should be "sort of 80s night") and on Saturday. Saturday is the big night there. There are five bars open on busy nights and two dance floors. An outside patio is available for smoking. If you want to dance in hampton roads and you are gay, this is the only option. Sure, you can dance at the cactus, but only for 30-60 minutes after the long, long, long drag shows. Give the wave a shot, you may like it. Unless you are the kind of guy who automatically hates a place because young people are there (on account of your supposed sophistication and maturity). Â In that case, spare us all your eye rolling and go somewhere else!
Review Source:I've always loved Norfolk for its cultural diversity. Â The Wave is a great example--it's a huge and very well known gay night club right in ODU area. Â But The Wave is more than a gay club; it's a cultural crossroads where gay, gay friendly and just plain party people can all have a good time under the same roof. Â The few nights I've been it seemed like predominately gay males and all types: your average looking dude, your queens, your pretty boys, etc. Â But every night there's something new, so don't be intimidated if this doesn't sound like your scene. Â One of the most popular events here is 80s night and people of all walks of life come out in their scrunchies and neon green RayBans to celebrate the bygone era of Reagan and The Breakfast Club. Â Good times are to be had every night; catch The Wave!
Review Source:The Wave is undoubtedly going to pale in comparison to other reputedly gay bars in bigger cities, but it definitely does a damn good job for Norfolk's sake. If you're looking for somewhere to dance, and I mean serious sweaty, uninhibited dancing, not necessarily just repeatedly grind to a thumping bass, this is the place to do it.
  While I wouldn't suggest going before 11:30, unless you're brave and want to hit the floor and/or wall of poles and mirrors by yourself, those few precious hours are worth it. Personally, I like to bring some friends and treat the amazing DJs and light show as my own personal party until people start flocking in. The crowd is creative, so don't be afraid to be a little more imaginative with your attire, especially if it's 80's night.
  I wouldn't necessarily call this an exclusively gay bar myself, but more of a place that doesn't take itself too seriously. Good music, good drinks, good people; no labels needed.
Ah, The Wave...we meet again.
I'm not as into 'dance clubs' as I was a couple of years ago, but as far as clubs in the area go this is definitely one of my favorites. The music here is great, always a nice variety (Thursday night/ 80's night is the best!) The Wave isn't technically a gay club, but it basically is a gay club...catch my drift? Although, Thursday nights are known to be the most 'tame' here. The drinks are decently priced here and there are several bars so quick service usually isn't too much of a problem - however I've seen this place get absolutely packed before, which is fun when you're dancing with a lot of people, not so fun when you're dying of thirst and waiting in line.
If you're looking for a fun place to just let go and dance - this is definitely the place to be on Thursday, Friday, & Saturday nights!
Dancing to Prince on 80s night, dancing to the Ting Tings on Indie night, throw in some Smiths both nights, go mainstream with some Lady Gaga (don't worry, it won't ruin your hipster image). This place is all about DANCING. One of the only clubs in Hampton Roads where people don't take themselves too seriously and it's all about moving to the music.
I work my leg warmers and neon colors for 80s night. Â There's a different kind of dancing going on here. More bouncy and old school and less grinding and popping.
Gay or straight, it doesn't matter. Cheap drinks...if you're not a good dancer, at least you will think you are.
The Wave is a fun place to be any night of the week, though Saturday nights are when things get interesting. Like any club or bar there is a lot of questionable activity which can't be helped. However, the DJs there are great and pick good tracks, there are events that roll through on occasion which make the trance/dance music people happy (Dj Irene being the one I went to) and you are bound to run into someone you know. It is a relaxed place with decent drink prices. Don't expect to get a weak drink here, they pack in the booze like no place I know which is what makes them worth the money.
Review Source:I love the wave. Technically not a gay bar but gay friendly and no one assumes everyone is gay (so lighten up). The club is 18 and up as well. Always easy to get a drink, quieter areas if you need it, open-air areas if you need a breather, rarely drama, and everyone is pretty nice.
Thursdays is 80's night, which I hear is their most popular night. Friday is indie night and the music selection is pretty great and current while still danceable.
Guys, if your girl wants to dance and you don't want some bro navy guy grinding on her out on the floor, take her to the wave.
Okay so after spending a disappointing night at the Rainbow Cactus when first coming here... my expectations of what the Wave would be like were extremely low. HOWEVER... I was pleasantly surprised...
First off, if you're looking for a place to dance, this is the place to go. The main room at the Wave has a large dance floor and a small stage for people to display their dance skills and gym sculpted bodies. Music was perfectly chose IMO and is akin to what you find at any other gay clubs in big cities (Apex, Badlands, Rage). Music was techno and remixes of other popular pop songs. You do have people taking off their shirts. Unlike other sketchy places, people actually have nice bodies here, so bring your straight girlfriends for a funtastic time.
I did go on a Saturday so I can't speak for how great the club is on other nights. On Saturday, though, there was a great many people there both young and old but I would say the average age was closer to 22-24. People 18-21 can also get in, but they have to get a wrist band at the door that prevents people from buying drinks at the bar. Cover charge is more expensive for those who are not 21 yet, but it's reasonable IMO.
They have other rooms as well, but I didn't take too detailed of a look. From what I saw, there was a TV room as well as a room for pool tables. So even if you don't like dancing, you can leave your friends for a bit and hit on the guy with the long pool cue.
They are open until 2amish although that's give or take 30 min. Club doesn't really get heated up until around 11pm ish so make sure to get there around that time. Anytime after that might mean that you'll have to wait awhile outside in the cold until the line starts moving so if you want to avoid that, I recommend getting in there a little earlier.
Parking is readily available and there is plenty of parking spots across the street as well. Just remember that Colley tends to be busy throughout the night so please take care of your drunk stumbling friends when crossing the street =)
I think I covered just about everything. For Norfolk, this is the place to be and that is why I gave it 5 stars.
As a straight female, when I lived in Hampton Roads, this was my club of choice, from high school all the way through college. Â It was a very dance-floor-oriented place, with the alcohol being the number-two priority, which made it very friendly to the underage crowd. Â There is also a pool table room and some seating in the back for when you need to cool off and get some quiet space. Â The bathrooms are suprisingly clean, but the bartenders aren't very friendly to women -- technically it's not called a gay bar, but it's considered such by all the regulars. Â Enough to have your sexuality questioned if you are male and are seen at The Wave.
I moved away over a year ago and I miss The Wave! Â Even if the bartenders were a bit cold, the people there are nice! Â I loved it.
I wanted to visit a different gay bar in the Hampton Roads. So, I was told that The Wave on Colley Ave was a gay bar for the young people like me.
There were about five or six of us going there and we all disappointed immediately.
Pros:
It was close to my house.
There was a diner that opens until late as 4am right the street across from the bar. I forget what was the name of this diner, but it was awesome.
Cons:
The bar was so tiny.
Lousy drinks.
Everybody looked like they were underage and rolling on the Ecstasy.
Everybody were not so friendly.
I visited there again not long later in the hopes that it would change my mind. Nada. It totally sucked.
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