East London Gay Men's Meetup | Meetup

gay pubs in east london

Drag Race UK star Bimi exclively tells the pws (, GAY TIMES) about her top five favoure LGBTQ+ venu East London. 

Contents:

THE BT GAY BARS LONDON

Disver the bt gay, lbian and LGBTQ+-iendly bars and pubs central, north, south, wt and east London * gay pubs in east london *

Bimi exclively tells the pws (, GAY TIMES) about her top five favoure LGBTQ+ venu East London. 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”.

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. Comptons of Soho Photo:, Shutterstock Comprisg of two bars and a quieter lounge area, Soho’s Comptons pub has been a staple the cy’s gay scene sce 1986. 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.

\NQUEER-FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOODS\NAS A METROPOLIS OF ART, BS, AND SIGN, LONDON IS A CY STEEPED QUEER HISTORY. FAMO PATRONS LIKE DAVID BOWIE PHED SEXUAL BOUNDARI, EMBRACG QUEER PEOPLE TO SOCIETY, MARCHG AND PROTTG FOR WHAT MAK LONDON ONE OF THE MOST EXCG AND CLIVE STATNS FOR LGBTQ+ PEOPLE THE WORLD.\NCENTRAL OR “WT END”- SOHO – OLD COMPTON STREET. \NNO TRIP TO LONDON WOULD EVER BE PLETE WHOUT VISG THE HUB OF LONDON’S QUEER LIFE THAT IS SOHO. SCE THE DAWN OF QUEER CULTURE,AS EARLY AS THE 17TH CENTURY—OM PUBS TO CLUBS, RTRANTS TO THEATRE PRODUCTNS—SOHO HAS BEEN FIRMLY THE BEATG HEART OF LONDON’S LGBTQ+ MUNY. EVERYDAY, OLD COMPTON STREET AND THE SURROUNDG AREA BUZZ WH TOURISTS AND QUEER FOLK ALIKE, WH NEON LIGHTS GLOWG MORNG TO NIGHT. HAPPY HOUR IS EVERY HOUR SOHO, SO YOU’LL NEVER MISS A BEAT!\NEAST LONDON \NEAST LONDON PLAYS HOST TO SOME OF LONDON’S MOST ECLECTIC LGBTQ+ VENU. WHERE GR AND GLAMOUR LLI TO CREATE LONDON’S ALTERNATIVE QUEER SCENE, THE EAST END STREETS BARE THE SOULS OF THE UNRGROUND CREATIVE FOLK, WHOSE BOUNDLS TALENT AND STYLE BRG TOGETHER A DIVERSE MIX OF MIC, FASHN, AND DIS DANCG BCHERY.\NSOUTH LONDON \NTHE AREA HAS A QUEER HISTORY AS FAR BACK AS SOHO, WH THE AREA FAMO FOR S BARET AND DRAG ACTS, DATG BACK BEFORE THE 1950S! SOUTH LONDON IS A VIBRANT SCENE OF OLD AND NEW, WHERE RELICS MEET REGENERATN, WH VXHALL, CLAPHAM, KENNGTON, AND PECKHAM AMONGST THE MOST POPULAR AREAS OF THIS GAYBOURHOOD. FROM WAREHOE CLUBS TO MALE AND FEMALE ONLY GYMS, THE SOUTH LONDON LIFTYLE BOASTS AN IRISCENT SPECTM OF PEOPLE AND PLAC TO DISVER.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":3266436000},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":288,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":928,"PTN":"EAST LONDON, A QUTSENTIAL QUEER NEIGHBORHOOD. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1237,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20646,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":4222532364},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"BT HOTELS\NW HOTEL \NLOTED AMONGST THE GLZ AND GLAMOUR OF LONDON’S WT END, AND ONLY A SASHAY AWAY OM SOHO, THE W HOTEL IS A SLEEK AND CHIC STATN. WH THE RECENT LNCH OF S FUNKY BAR AND LOUNGE, THE PERCEPTN, LIKE THE RT OF THE HOTEL, PTUR THE THE KSCHY/MPY SOUL OF LONDON WH EXPERIENC LIKE “WHAT’S THE TEA?” A LECTABLE DRAG AFTERNOON TEA, OR “QUEER ME OUT,” A GENR FLUID FASHN EXTRAVAGANZA. WHETHER YOU’RE CHECKED OR STOPPG BY, THE W LONDON IS FELY ONE TO CHECK OUT.\NTHE CURTA\NCURTA ROAD, EAST LONDON IS A MERA-READY HOTEL AND MEMBERS CLUB LOTED A SHORT WALK OM OLD STREET STATN. WHETHER BE AN OVERNIGHT VIS OR A WEEKEND AWAY, THE ROOFTOP POOL AND RTRANT ARE FEATUR WORTH FEASTG OVER—THE BNCH IS PECIALLY FABULO. BELOW THE NCE OF THE CHICLY SIGNED ROOMS IS HOED A SLEEK SCREENG AND DIS ROOM, NOTABLY PREMIERG EXCLIVE QUEER IENDLY EVENTS AND FILMS, SUCH AS RU PL’S DRAG RACE VIEWG PARTI AND SECRET LIVE PERFORMANC OM QUEER ARTISTS. IT’S A VIQP (VERY IMPORTANT QUEER PERSON) VENUE WORTH VISG.\NACE HOTEL, SHOREDCH\NOF THE CREATIVE AND ECLECTIC, GLOBALLY-KNOWN CHA OF ACE HOTELS, THE SHOREDCH LOTN DO EVERYTHG TO ENPASS THE BRAND’S NOTABLE HIPNS WH A DASH OF EAST LONDON REALNS. DAY OR NIGHT THIS HOTEL LOBBY BUZZ WH CREATIVE ACTIVY. WH AN IMPRSIVE ROOFTOP AND EQUALLY FABULO RTRANT, ’S NO WONR THIS SOULFUL SE PLAYS HOMAGE TO S NEIGHBOURHOOD BY HOSTG AN ARRAY OF ENGAGG QUEER EVENTS. THE HOTEL PROUDLY ADVOT AS A TSTED LGBTQ+ STATN, WELG QUEERS AND ALLI ALIKE TO ENJOY LIVE PERFORMANC OM DRAG ARTISTS AND MICIANS, TO DANCG THE NIGHT AWAY AT ONE OF THEIR MANY QUEER NIGHTS HELD THEIR NIGHTCLUB, MIRANDA.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":1613567525},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":266,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":856,"PTN":"GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSTORE. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1141,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20653,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960},{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":280,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":900,"PTN":"GAY'S THE WORD BOOKSTORE. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20652,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":432007417},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"QUEER-OWNED BS \NQUEER SALONS\NEXPLORG YOUR INTY N OFTEN MEAN EXPERIMENTG WH PERSONAL STYLE, LIKE EXPRSG YOUR NER SELF WH A HAIRDO TO MATCH. OPEN BARBERS (HOXTON), TUTTII FTII (DEPTFORD) AND BLA (SOHO) ARE ALL HAIR SALONS THAT PRI THEMSELV ON AN OPEN AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE OF ALL GENRS AND SEXUALI. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT EACH SALON IS THE RE AND ATTENTN WELG EVERYBODY TO THEIR SPACE, WH AFFORDABLE PRIC THAT REFLECT THEIR LOVE OF MUNY. I ONLY WISH PLAC LIKE THIS EXISTED WHEN I WAS GROWG UP AND EXPERIMENTG WH MY INTY. WHETHER ’S A CKTAIL AND CUT AT BLA’S, OR A TECHNILOUR TRANSFORMATN AT TUTTIIFTII’S, THE QUEER OWNED SALONS MAKE TREATG YOURSELF A BUZZ-WORTHY EXPERIENCE.\NDALSTON SUPERSTORE\NFOR A SUNDAY BNCH WH ALL THE BELLS AND BAR-DANCG DIVAS, QUEER GEM DALSTON SUPERSTORE OFFERS AN EXTRA SI OF SASS WH YOUR SUNDAY SERVICE. NOT ONLY KNOWN FOR THEIR INIC LGBTQ+ NIGHTLIFE (A FE ‘TO-DO’ TOO), THE FUN DON’T STOP WHEN THE MORNG RIS THE EAST. LOTED ALONG KGSLAND ROAD, ‘BASIC BNCH’, SERVED BY ONE OF MY DRAG FAVOUR A MAN TO PET, WILL HAVE YOUR EGGS POACHED PERFECTLY WH A DASH OF BCHERY, LEAVG YOU FULL OF LICLY PUT-TOGETHER FOOD AND FUN. CELEBRATG S 10TH BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR, ’S ONE OF FEW QUEER PLAC LEFT THAT GUID ME AND MANY OTHERS THROUGH QUEER ADOLCENCE, SUPPORTG THE WHOLE LGBTQ+ MUNY, PROVIDG A SAFE SPACE TO DANCE, FD LOVE, AND MEET LIKE-MD PEOPLE OVER A BEVVY.\N \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":2056609658},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":557,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":376,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":557,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"INSI SH! ","HEIGHT":557,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":557,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20659,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562},{"RETAHEIGHT":369,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":560,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":369,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"SH! ","HEIGHT":369,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":368,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":369,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":369,"ID":20660,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562},{"RETAHEIGHT":548,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":383,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":548,"WIDTH":562,"PTN":"BRILL CAFE. ","HEIGHT":548,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":562,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":548,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20644,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":562}],"ID":817000301},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"GAY’S THE WORD\NFOR OVER 40 YEARS, GAY’S THE WORD BOOKSTORE HAS BEEN A TREASURED ROURCE AND SAFE SPACE FOR EVERY MANIFTATN OF THE MUNY OF ALL AG AND GENERATNS. SUATED THE CHARMG STREETS OF BLOOMSBURY, CROSSG THE DOORWAY YOU ARE STANTLY MET BY WONRFULLY ATTENTIVE GENERAL MANAGERS, ULILENART AND JIM. BEYOND THE BOOKSHELV, YOU’RE PTIVATED BY THE NVERSATNS PEOPLE ARE SHARG, ELEVATED BY THE -PTH PERSONAL REMENDATNS PENNED BY THE WONRFULLY ATTENTIVE STAFF. \NSH!\NI’D POPPED TO GRAB A FFEE AT PFIELD LONDON HOXTON WHEN I FIRST STUMBLED ACROSS SH! IT WAS LIKE DISVERG A NGHTY NARNIA, HIDN THROUGH A SECRET DOORWAY. NTLED WH A WHOLOME EAST LONDON Fé, SH! HAS PNEERED ONE OF THE ONLY FEMALE-FIRST EROTIC BOUTIQU THE UNTRY SCE 1992. THE SPIRG LADI WHO WORK HERE ARE AS WONRFULLY PASSNATE ABOUT THEIR WOMAN-POWERED ETHOS AS THE STIMULATG ARRAY OF PRODUCT ADORNG THE SHELV. SHARG THEIR SECRETS AT REFULLY CURATED (AND OFTEN SOLD OUT!) TALKS AND WORKSHOPS LEAVE YOU FEELG MORE EMPOWERED BY YOUR BODY AND SEXUALY THAN EVER BEFORE, CELEBRATG THAT SEXUALY AND GENR IS NOT ONE-SIZE-FS-ALL. \NBRILL CAFé \NA PROUDLY PENNT FE AND MIC STORE, LOTED EXMOUTH MARKET, BRILL OFFERS MORE THAN JT A GREAT CUP OF FFEE. THE WALLS AT THIS APTLY-NAMED FE DISPLAY A WELL-CURATED LLECTN OF VYL, ALONGSI A WELL STOCKED SHELF OF QUEER MAGAZ TO BROWSE. EACH MORNG, SOMEONE OM THE STAFF CYCL TO BRICK LANE TO LLECT A H BATCH OF FAMO BAGELS, AND IF THE VEGAN ROCKY ROADS AREN’T VG ENOUGH, BRILL PRIS SELF ON BEG A QUEER-IENDLY STATN, HOSTG EVENTS SUCH AS QUEER MIC AND POETRY NIGHTS, EVEN FIXG UP SOME AFTER-HOURS PRI PUNCH FOR THE OCSN. \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":4201421218},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":1600,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":280,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":900,"PTN":"TATE BRA. ","HEIGHT":1200,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":960,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20664,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":3589269865},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"ARTS & CULTURE

* gay pubs in east london *

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. Officially a gay bar sce 1981, ’s now a firm favoure wh the LGBTQ+ muny – ‘bears’ particular – om London and around the world.

From tablished legends of the gay scene to on that play baret and everythg between, there’s somethg for everyone here.

THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

Party the pal wh our gui to London's bt gay clubs, om Heaven to Dalston Superstore * gay pubs in east london *

The spac beer garn — slathered the Pri rabow — mak this place somethg special, and the outdoor loft space is available to hire for anyone wantg to throw themselv a gay old birthday.

As early on as the 1940s, gay men were drawn to the venue — which is now a daily rt of baret, quizz clubbg — and the annual panto. "Over the years, the scene has always been fluid and moved om area to area, " says club promoter Wayne Shir, a tan of London's gay scene sce the early 80s.

Once the cy's most proment gay village, Earls Court's queer quarter—a btlg hive of pubs, f and snas—has all but vanished. All may now be closed, but the area has experienced somethg of a rurgence; Dalston Superstore, The Glory, East Bloc, and Vogue Fabrics (now VFD) reprent a new slew of gay bars and pubs.

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

Top London Gay Clubs & Bars: See reviews and photos of Gay Clubs & Bars London, England on Tripadvisor. * gay pubs in east london *

"There were always gay thgs east London; the Gee and Dragon was one of the first plac and the Joers had been there for 20 years. "What's tertg, when you start pickg apart London's gay scene, is that at any one pot there will be two or three different scen gog on, " says historian Matt Cook, thor of Queer Domtici: Homosexualy and Home Life Twentieth-Century London.

So maybe 's also no surprise that there's ls appete for gay bars now that people are tendg to socialize mixed bars. "As well as a more dramatic physil shift, London's gay scene has also wnsed somethg of a psychologil one.

At the height of the AIDs epimic the 80s and 90s, gay pubs provid sanctuary, a platform for lnchg the kd of activism that raised sential awarens and funds.

GAY BARS AND CLUBS SOHO

Soho is the centre of the gay scene London, wh some of the bt LGBTQ bars and clubs town. Here's our pick of the bt of gay Soho. * gay pubs in east london *

"It felt very polilly important at that moment of rampant homophobia, acute anxiety and grief, and all that muny activism around Aids. In that sense we've got a gay scene east London, but I don't feel like 's ghettoized. Gay bars are fely part of the wir muny now.

"Before, may have been the se that stealth trans people didn't go out to trans nights or gay nights, and trans people that didn't pass only went to trans nights, " says Munroe Bergdof, DJ and trans activist.

"The trans girls who would go out wh their gay iends would get nstantly nfed wh drag queens.

THE BT LGBTQ+ AND GAY CLUBS LONDON

Party the pal wh our gui to London's bt gay clubs, om Heaven to Dalston Superstore * gay pubs in east london *

Now, 's pletely blend; trans girls n go out wh their gay iends and not have to worry about that bee everyone's a b more clued up about what trans people go through.

LONDON GAY MAP

"My black gay iends wouldn't go out Soho bee they felt they were looked down upon, no one would fd them attractive. As well as the media attentn 's got, out on the scene nights like "Let's Talk about Gay Sex and Dgs" have been set up as an open fom for discsg the topic a non-judgemental are like ckroach – we'll be kicked out of somewhere and we'll filtrate somewhere else"I do thk there's much more social awarens, " says Miss Cairo, a drag artist. There's even a fear that a lack of patronage, and ultimately profabily, is the reason bars are shuttg—that people feel fortable enough straight venu and simply aren't g their lol gay spac anymore.

CISG LONDON: 17 PLAC GAY GUYS MEET FOR GENERAL PUBLIC TERURSE, ACRDG TO WEB SE

The energy a gay bar, a queer venue, is different to the energy a straight venue. I don't thk gay people should stop beg gay or flntg their gayns and a safe environment is where you n do that.

EAST LONDON GAY MEN'S MEETUP

As the pace of gentrifitn quickens, the bricks and mortar may be lost, but the muny, s people and s valu, will like this on VICE:London's LGBT Communy Protted Agast the Closure of the Black Cap – Camn's Inic Drag PubMappg the Terrible Lost Nightclubs of LondonIntroducg Bra's First UKIP-Endorsg Gay Pub. South London is a vibrant scene of old and new, where relics meet regeneratn, wh Vxhall, Clapham, Kenngton, and Peckham amongst the most popular areas of this gaybourhood.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY PUBS IN EAST LONDON

Cisg London: 17 plac gay guys meet for general public terurse, acrdg to web se - CIDAC .

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