Few streets in America are as closely tied to adult nightlife as Bourbon Street. Within a few hundred metres of the French Quarter you will find several of the state’s best-known clubs sitting almost shoulder to shoulder, alongside daiquiri bars, jazz rooms and balconies full of tourists. That density is the thing that makes Louisiana different: in most US cities, strip clubs are pushed to industrial edges and highway frontage roads. In New Orleans they sit on the main tourist artery, open late, in the middle of everything else.
It also means the industry here is unusually political. Bourbon Street clubs have been the subject of state raids, appeal court rulings and repeated attempts at City Hall to restrict how many of them can exist. If you are planning a visit, it is worth knowing what has actually happened — because the rules on the ground have changed more than once in recent years.
The rules: raids, the 21-and-over law, and city permits
In January 2018, the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control and the New Orleans Police Department raided eight French Quarter clubs. The operation was publicised as an anti-trafficking effort, and agents reported finding prostitution, lewd acts and in some cases drug activity. Liquor licences were suspended and the clubs closed. Notably, the raids did not identify any trafficking victims.
The response was immediate. Out-of-work dancers organised the Bourbon Alliance of Responsible Entertainers, marched on Bourbon Street and disrupted a city press conference with signs reading “Strippers are our economy” and “Hands off our jobs.” Several clubs later reached settlements with the state and reopened; others did not survive the closure.
The age question is the one most often misunderstood. Louisiana’s Act 395 of 2016 required entertainers whose breasts or buttocks are exposed at premises licensed to serve alcohol to be 21 or older. Three dancers aged 18, 19 and 20 challenged it. A federal district court agreed the law was unconstitutionally vague and blocked enforcement with a preliminary injunction. In September 2018 a Fifth Circuit panel affirmed that ruling. But the state sought a rehearing, and in November 2018 the same panel withdrew its earlier opinion, held that the Act was neither unconstitutionally overbroad nor vague on its face, and vacated the injunction. The 21-and-over requirement stands and is enforceable. If you read older coverage saying the law was struck down, that coverage stopped before the reversal.
On the city side, New Orleans has tried repeatedly to cap the number of adult live performance venues in the Vieux Carré — and has repeatedly backed off. A City Planning Commission study followed a 2016 council motion asking whether the number should be limited; in March 2018 the council voted down a proposal that would have capped French Quarter clubs at 14 and barred new venues on the same blockface as an existing one. The issue came back in January 2026, when the council passed an ordinance requiring a conditional use permit for adult live entertainment venues. Less than three weeks later the council rescinded it, and in March 2026 the related planning study was withdrawn entirely. As things stand, there is no cap on the number of clubs in the French Quarter, and existing venues operate under the current mix of state liquor licences and city permits.
New Orleans
All five New Orleans listings sit in the French Quarter, four of them directly on Bourbon Street.
- Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club New Orleans — 225 Bourbon St, New Orleans
- Rick’s Cabaret New Orleans — 315 Bourbon St, New Orleans
- Larry Flynt’s Hustler Barely Legal Club — 423 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130
- Rick’s Sporting Saloon — 522 Bourbon St, New Orleans
- The Penthouse Club New Orleans — 727 Iberville St, New Orleans
Baton Rouge
- The Penthouse Club – Baton Rouge — 4622 Bennington Ave, Baton Rouge
Shreveport
- Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club — 202 Commerce Street, Shreveport 71101
Harvey
- Scores WEST — 1555 Manhattan Blvd, Harvey
Gonzales
- The Gold Club — Gonzales (no street address on file)
What to check before you go
- Bring ID, and expect it to be checked properly. Louisiana’s 21-and-over rule applies to entertainers, but venues serving alcohol card guests at the door too. A passport or driver’s licence is the safe option for international visitors.
- Confirm the club is trading before you walk over. Bourbon Street has seen licence suspensions, settlements and closures over the past decade, and listings age. A quick phone call or a look at the club’s own site or social page beats arriving at a shuttered door.
- Agree prices before anything starts. Cover charges, drink minimums, VIP room rates and card-processing fees vary between clubs and between nights. Ask what a dance and a room actually cost, in full, before you commit.