THE 10 BEST London Gay Clubs & Bars (Updated 2023) - Tripadvisor

Contents:

• THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON
• EAST LONDON GAY MEN'S MEETUP
• THE BT GAY BARS LONDON
• THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON
• LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE
• NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON
• THE BEST THGS TO DO SHOREDCH, LONDONGAY CLUBS & BARS SHOREDCH
• LONDON GAY BARS
• LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS

THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

Like all our areas London, East London had s challeng wh revelopment and losg queers spac, to the excg recent openg of new plac like The Glory and Bethnal Green Workg Men’s Club, Queen Alai and Vogue Fabrics already makg their lible mark on the UK gay scene, never md jt the East End. East Londons Biggt and most famo gay sna space, a large venue wh areas for everyone om spa, snas and steam, numero private bs and tv rooms, Pl an array of fantastic theme events om Big and Cuddly wh a whole buffet put on, to Lato Thursdays and even a Sunday roast served on a Sunday. Named after the Walthamstow lol famo for his volvement the Arts and Crafts movement, The William Morris Bar is a neighbourhood gay pub for the rints of E17, but the vast and varied range of events happeng throughout the week means that ’s well worth anybody makg the journey to the end of the Victoria Le.

The legendary cis-tem offenr and genr-benr took a pse om all of her jaw-droppgly stun photoshoots (this TimeOut one is still slayg our souls) to chat wh GAY TIMES about the bt queer bars and clubs you should vis right now East London. Owned by London drag entertaers Jonny Woo and John Sizzle, as well as Col Rothbart, the webse for The Glory also scrib the venue as “East London’s famo gay bar” and “drag hothoe” whose regulars are “like fay”. While London’s queer nightclub scene has seen some sad, untimely partur, such as the Coleherne (briefly the Pembroke), London’s olst gay bar until s closure, and the Joer’s Arms, there are still some long-standg venu and new-ers to the scene workg hard to keep London’s queer nightlife alive.

Royal Vxhall Tavern, Vxhall The Royal Vxhall Tavern is a te slice of LGBTQ+ history London – a Gra II Listed venue that was famoly raid by police 1987 amidst over-policg of London’s gay muny. The Glory, Haggerston The Glory pris self beg one of East London’s bt gay bars, drag hotho, LGBTQ+ performance venu, nightclubs, and curators of London shows, ftivals, ntts and battl.

EAST LONDON GAY MEN'S MEETUP

Gay Amerin artist Dennis Severs spent 20 years turng his home to a livg mm, wh the townhoe’s 10 rooms reprentg snapshots the life of an imagary fay between 1724 to 1914. Highlights clu the John Waters-spired lbian theme night Female Trouble; the d-visual queer spectacular Outré Voyage, the male-centric mic nights Homodrop and Dissodoma, the by-femm/for-femm monthly Femmi-Errect, and the hedonistic Happy Endgs, which turns Superstore’s unisex loos to a pop-up rave. In Hackney Wick, near the Olympic Park, the monthly gay rave Chapter 10 is at Bloc and Pxssy Palace tak place at Mick’s you need fuel on your night out, Dalston is packed wh late-night eateri.

They clu Admiral Dunn, a historic pub wh drag shows most nights of the week; Ku Bar, a cktail lounge and club popular wh gay men; the lbian bar She Soho and the big urtyard bar The Yard.

Although there have been high-profile closur recent years, remas a clubbg hotspot – particularly popular wh gay the banks of the Tham the south-wt of the cy, Vxhall has a history of entertament. Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia.

THE BT GAY BARS LONDON

'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022. Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife.

The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage".

THE 10 BEST LONDON GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS LONDON

The Glory pris self beg one of east London’s bt gay bars, drag hotho, LGBTQ+ performance venu, nightclubs, and curators of London shows, ftivals, ntts and battl. Halfway To Heaven, Trafalgar Square Loted between Charg Cross Statn and Trafalgar Square, Halfway To Heaven is a tradnal gay pub and baret show bar wh a laid-back ground floor and club-like basement area.

Kgs Arms, Soho Loted on Soho’s Poland Street and open sce the 1700’s, the iendly Kgs Arms was one of the first spots Soho to serve the gay muny, billg self as a ‘gentlemen’s bar’ the 1970’s. 24 plac sorted by traveler favorBars & Clubs • Gay BarsTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentBars & Clubs • Gay BarsLeicter Square / Shaftbury AvenueWhat travelers are saygBier than expected but service was fast and iendly. Brilliant staff (pecially Jack, the fabulo bar manager and cktail maker), fabulo cktails and a relaxed atmosphere for all whether gay, straight or somethg else.

LONDON'S LANDMARK BUILDG DOTTED WH STRIP CLUBS, GAY VENU TO TURN TO MOSQUE

Though the number of LGBT+ venu London has seen a cle the last or so, the cy's gay scene isn't ailg yet – fact, a handful of excellent new venu have opened recent years around the cy.

The hight ncentratn of LGBT+ spac n still be found around Old Compton Street Soho, a former red light district that's been heavily gentrified recent years, but remas London's gay heartland. It’s closed on Mondays and Tudays, but hosts a r Sunday pub quiz and gets pretty packed on Friday and Saturday nights when the small dancefloor fills up wh a largely, though not exclively, gay male crowd. Bars & Clubs • Gay BarsTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentGay Bars • Dance Clubs & DissTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentBars & Clubs • Gay BarsLeicter Square / Shaftbury AvenueLearn more about this ntentTours, activi and experienc bookable on Tripadvisor, ranked g exclive Tripadvisor data cludg reviews, ratgs, photos, populary, er preferenc, price, and bookgs ma through travellers are saygBier than expected but service was fast and iendly.

NIGHTCLUBBG: GAY CLUBBG ’70S LONDON

22 Augt 2023 to 9 September 2023 Dumbledore Is So Gay TicketsWner of the VAULT Ftival Origs Award, Dumbledore Is So Gay is about g of age, g out, and the joys and trials of beg a fan boy.

Until 16 September 2023 Sleepg Bety Tak A Prick TicketsSleepg Bety Tak A Prick at Charg Cross Theatre 23 November 2023 to 13 January 2024 Strangers Between TicketsThe Goln Goose Theatre is revivg classic Atralian drama Strangers Between by Tommy Murphy, which looks at the highs and lows of growg up gay morn Atralia. His Dick’s Inn Gay Dis operated out of straight venu as far afield
 as Croydon, Ilford, Bishopsgate and Eton, packg a few hundred gay boys and girls at a time.

Wh his pop and soul mic reviews and dis chart Gay News, Tricky Dicky received verage om a gay prs more terted polics, cema, theatre and opera than the mercial gay 1975 Tricky Dicky held a one-nighter lled Fangs unrneath a hotel Paddgton and, much to his surprise, the place was full to pacy, wh 600 dancg queens 
lappg up every mute. For London’s scenters and disphil, a trip to Bang s early days, wh s vastns and hedonistic dis energy, uld be as liberatg as gog on a Gay Pri march (whose numbers those days were srcely bigger than a Bang crowd).

THE BEST THGS TO DO SHOREDCH, LONDONGAY CLUBS & BARS SHOREDCH

Legendary gay dis DJ Talullah, who
 up until his untimely ath 2008 was still DJg London and abroad, had first-hand experience of New York dis at s height. The Rabow Dis, hoed unrneath the Rabow Rooms Manor Hoe, was advertised Gay News as playg all the bt Amerin soul and funk, but also boasted dis mic on the playlist.

Lus then went back to Earls Court to take his rincy at the Copabana, a much-need large club for the area, then still the hub of London’s gay scene, givg the regulars of The Colherne and Bromptons pubs some late-night actn. Jeremy Norman, chairman of historil high-society gui Burke’s Peerage, was spired to open The Embassy after numero trips to New York clubs, where the openns and signer dg-fuelled liftyle of the cy’s flourishg gay life ntrasted wh London’s parochial feel (you uld still get banned some venu for sniffg poppers). The Embassy was immortalised the vio for Sylvter’s “You Make Me Feel Mighty Real, ” but ultimately s populary was s downfall, as the upmarket straight crowd outnumbered the gay element.

LONDON GAY BARS

The key figure on the cks was Ian Leve, who as rint DJ at the Blackpool Mec had been at the heart of the Northern Soul scene, broang s rem to embrace dis after wnsg New York gay clubs on trips Stati huntg rare soul. Leve was among the first on the gay scene to tly embrace mixg, keepg the tempo steady and puttg paid to the Motown medleys monplace at Bang, Copas or Sndals.

LONDON GAY CISE CLUBS

Heaven’s attractns may have been s mic and lights, but s prime purpose was for cisg and Norman was termed to prevent straight punters om takg over, enforcg a rigoro gay men-only door policy. The London Eveng Standard, reviewg Heaven’s openg night, liberated: “Heaven’s biggt headache uld be terrg London’s non-gay disphil who uld end up tryg to pass for gay to get past the elegant bouncers at the dis’s equivalent of the Pearly Gat.

Gay dis, Boystown or hi-energy (named after Evelyn Thomas’s h of the same name), beme the soundtrack to the clone scene that took over Heaven and gay Earls Court.

Bars & ClubsDance Clubs & DissGay Clubs & BarsComedy ClubsBar, Club & Pub ToursSohoTrafalgar Square / EmbankmentShoredchBloomsburyClerkenwellCovent GarnHolbornSouthwarkIslgtonLeicter Square / Shaftbury AvenueWimbledonEast End / East LondonGood for CouplBudget-iendlyGood for KidsGood for Big GroupsHoneymoon spotGood for Adrenale SeekersHidn GemsFree EntryAdventuroGood for a Ray Day.