If you close your eyes and think about early 2000s television, you can probably still hear the thumping bass of "Dive in the Pool" by Pepper Mashay. It was loud. It was sweaty. It was unapologetically queer. For five seasons on Showtime, Queer as Folk Babylon wasn't just a set on a soundstage in Toronto; it was the beating heart of Liberty Avenue.
It’s hard to overstate how much that fictional club mattered.
Back then, representation wasn't about "wholesome" characters sitting in a coffee shop discussing their feelings in a way that wouldn't offend your grandmother. It was about Brian Kinney standing on a podium, covered in glitter and sweat, looking down at a dance floor that felt like a sanctuary.
Babylon was more than a plot device. It was a character.
The Reality Behind the Neon and Chrome
Let’s get one thing straight: the "real" Babylon didn't exist, but it was heavily inspired by the circuit party culture of the late 90s and early 2000s. Specifically, the creators, Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, drew massive inspiration from the legendary Fly in Toronto and various clubs in New York and Montreal.
The set was massive.
Production designer Taavo Soodor actually built a multi-level environment that allowed for those sweeping, cinematic shots where the camera would dive from the balcony down into the "pit." Most TV clubs feel small—like three people dancing in a corner—but Queer as Folk Babylon felt infinite. It looked expensive because it was. They used real industrial materials, metal grating, and high-end lighting rigs that were actually capable of giving the actors (and the extras) a headache after fourteen hours of filming.
The extras weren't just random people off the street, either. To keep the energy up, the production often hired real club kids and dancers from Toronto’s Church and Wellesley village. They knew how to move. They knew the vibe.
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Why the Music Made the Club
You can’t talk about Babylon without talking about the soundtrack. Music supervisor 611 (and later various consultants) understood that the "Gay sound" of 2000 was shifting from house to tribal and vocal trance.
Tracks like "Proud" by Heather Small or the various remixes of Kristine W weren't just background noise. They were anthems. The show actually released several soundtrack albums, with Queer as Folk: Club Babylon becoming a massive hit in its own right. It’s kinda wild to think that a fictional club's soundtrack could peak on the Billboard dance charts, but it did.
Music was the dialogue when the characters weren't speaking. When Justin first enters the club, the music is overwhelming, mirroring his sensory overload. When Brian is spiraling, the beat gets darker, more aggressive.
The Controversy of Representation
Was Babylon realistic? Well, yes and no.
Honestly, the show took a lot of heat for its portrayal of club culture. Critics at the time—and even some now—point out that it glamorized a very specific, "body-perfect" version of gay life. Everyone was ripped. Everyone was white (mostly). Everyone was wearing expensive leather or nothing at all.
But for a kid in a small town watching on a pirated cable box, Queer as Folk Babylon wasn't about realism. It was about aspiration. It was a dream of a place where you didn't have to look over your shoulder before kissing someone.
It also didn't shy away from the darker side.
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The show tackled the "crystal" epidemic and the reality of GHB overdoses on the dance floor long before other prestige dramas touched those topics. They showed the "circuit doctor" handing out pills in the bathroom. They showed the comedowns. They showed that for all the glitter, there was a lot of grit underneath.
The "Prom Night" Bombing and the Shift in Tone
One of the most pivotal moments in the entire series happened at the end of Season 5. The bombing of Babylon.
It changed everything.
Suddenly, the playground wasn't safe. This storyline was incredibly controversial among fans. Some felt it was a "bury your gays" trope, while others felt it reflected the post-9/11 anxiety and the very real threats of hate crimes against LGBTQ+ spaces.
When the characters eventually returned to the charred remains of the club, it wasn't just about rebuilding a business. It was about reclaiming a space that the world tried to take away. That final scene—the "Save the Last Dance for Me" moment—is still one of the most emotional beats in television history. It signaled the end of an era, not just for the show, but for that specific brand of loud, proud, 2000s queer culture.
How to Find the "Babylon" Vibe Today
If you're looking to recapture that feeling, you aren't going to find a club named Babylon on Liberty Avenue (which is actually based on Pittsburgh's Carson Street, though filmed in Toronto). However, the spirit lives on in specific ways.
Visit the Filming Locations
Most of the exterior shots for the show were filmed on Church Street in Toronto. While the "Babylon" interiors were a set, you can still visit the streets where the characters walked. Woody's, which was a real bar used for many scenes, is still standing and operating today. It’s a piece of living history.
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Dive into the Soundscapes
The original soundtracks are still available on streaming platforms. Look for the "Club Babylon" compilations. They are a time capsule of 128 BPM tribal house that defined the "Showtime Era."
The 2022 Reboot Contrast
It is worth noting the Peacock reboot of Queer as Folk. They had their own version of a club, but the vibe was entirely different. It was more inclusive, more "New Orleans," and arguably more grounded. But it lacked that mythical, larger-than-life quality that the original Babylon possessed.
Support Real Queer Spaces
The biggest takeaway from the legacy of Queer as Folk Babylon is the importance of "Third Spaces." With the rise of dating apps, gay bars and clubs are closing at an alarming rate. If you want the Babylon experience, you have to go out. You have to support the local drag shows, the leather bars, and the dance floors in your own city.
The club was never just about the building. It was about the people inside it refusing to be invisible.
To truly understand the impact, you have to look at how it paved the way for shows like Pose or It's a Sin. It broke the door down. It told the world that queer people have a right to joy, a right to sex, and a right to a dance floor that feels like home.
The next time you're out and a classic house track comes on, think of Brian, Justin, Michael, and Emmett. They might be fictional, but the sweat and the liberation they represented were very, very real.
Go find your own dance floor. Support a local queer venue tonight. Buy a ticket to a circuit event or a community fundraiser. Keep the lights on in the spaces that keep our community alive.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts
- Search for the "Queer as Folk: Club Babylon" soundtrack on Spotify or Apple Music to hear the exact tracks used in the show’s most iconic scenes.
- Plan a visit to Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighborhood to see the real-life locations like Woody's that inspired the series.
- Watch the Season 5 finale again to appreciate the nuance of how the show handled the destruction and rebirth of queer safe spaces.