Discover the Top 10 Gay Venues in London

Heaven was opened in 1979 and was seen as London’s answer to Studio 54 in New York. The superclub quickly became a centre of London’s gay nightlife scene, helping to make gay clubbing more recognized and mainstream. In 2013, founder of G-A-Y, Jeremy Joseph, took over sole control of the Heaven club.

G-A-Y was previously located in the Astoria and now forms the main sessions as G-A-Y@Heaven over the weekend.  The club stages regular club nights Thursday through to Sunday from 10pm, with the doors closing an hour earlier on Sunday at 3am. Although a top LGBTQ venue, this is a hetero-friendly club where anyone can come and enjoy a night out.

This famous club has played host to some equally famous names. Miley Cyrus, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga and Jessie J are some of the global names who have performed at the G-A-Y club nights. The club continues to promote the best in established up and coming music, with recent performances from The Cribs, Tame Impala, Franz Ferdinand, Culture Club and more.

The Heaven club can be found on Villiers Street beneath the arches of Charing Cross station. It remains the best known gay night out in the capital, including the infamous G-A-Y Porn Idol strip contest on Thursday nights. Friday is the night to head to the club for classic 80’s and 90’s sounds, with Saturday the main club night when some of the major names of the day could be performing.

She Soho is a popular lesbian bar, the first to take up residence on Old Compton Street in Soho. This area of London has always had a strong connection with the gay community, but She Soho was opened to offer a modern space for women, non-binary folk and their guests. This is the only woman-priority venue in London.

She Soho is a modern basement bar located in the heart of Soho. A community hub during the day, it is transformed in to a vibrant gay scene at night. The club offers a variety of entertainment including comedy, cabaret, burlesque and DJs, plus other social events such as drag king contests.

She Soho forms part of the Ku Group, a group of independent LGBTQ+ bars sited across central London. The group is entirely inclusive, with its bars and clubs hetero-friendly venues. She Soho is the ideal place to relax, sip cocktails and enjoy great entertainment while sampling a cool lesbian scene. 

She Soho can be found at 23 Old Compton Street in Soho, with Leicester Square the closest station. The She Soho bar is open Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm. The doors close at 1am, with the exception of Sunday when there is an earlier closing time of 10.30pm.

Even before the name change to Compton’s of Soho in 1986, this Soho pub had long been a place to meet and drink for London’s gay men. Compton’s remains one of the most popular gay bars in London, where beer-drinking and good conversation go hand in hand.

In the past, Compton’s of Soho had a reputation for being a slightly cruisy type of bar, with throngs of men drinking on the street outside. However, this is an unpretentious pub set over two floors and attracts a varied crowd. However, that does not mean the fun element of men watching has been completely lost. True beer-drinking also still remains at its core.

Compton’s of Soho offers a warm and inviting downstairs bar, complemented by a quieter upstairs lounge where you can relax and chat. The bar sees itself as the Grand Dame of Compton Street, a venue which remains at the heart of the gay scene in Soho. Of course it is not just real ale and beer served at Compton’s, with a huge selection of drinks to suit any occasion.

Located on Compton Street in Soho, the bar is open every day of the week from 12pm, with closing times varying between week days and weekends. Entertainment at the pub includes Soul Hoes on Thursday nights, Soho’s only LGBTQ+ soul funk disco evening. Head down to Compton’s on Monday, when there are cheaper drink options available throughout the day plus a DJ from 9pm. Certain drinks are priced at just £2.95, with doubles from £5.90.

For over 30 years the White Swan has been one of best known gay bars and nightclubs in the East End of London. This historic pub has welcomed many famous faces through its doors, including Sir Ian McKellen who used to enjoy a drink or two here. Over recent years the White Swan has completed modifications to make it a modern venue for a top night out.

A new sound and lighting system is set to enhance the music played at the White Swan. DJs play all the club classics as well as the best in new dance music every Friday and Saturday night in the White Swan’s basement bar. New live music acts, plus returning favourites also feature, as does cabaret. The club promises lots of new themes across the nights during the coming year.

The weekend DJ nights can see a small charge levied for entry after 10.30pm. On Thursdays you can enjoy free entry to the Piano bar where all singers are welcome. The White Swan is about great fun and entertainment for all, so be sure to check out their What’s On page online to see what you might be missing out on.

The White Swan is a late bar venue, opening every day of the week except Sunday from 8pm to 5am. Friday is marked as Funky Friday. The venue can be found on the corner of Commercial Road and Butcher Row in Limehouse in the East End of London. Stepney Green on the District line and Aldgate East on the Hammersmith and City line are the nearest tube stations.

Dalston Superstore is the ultimate all-rounder of a gay venue. This popular east London venue is a club, bar, cafe, community hub and gallery all rolled in to one. The venue has gone from strength to strength since opening its doors in 2009 and is now one of London’s premier pleasure palaces.

Dalston Superstore has a fantastic mix of entertainment. Music is very much to the fore with DJs and live music acts making for a vibrant club scene. Why not book a table for the Saturday or Sunday afternoon Drag brunch featuring a changing cast of London’s best alt-cabaret stars.

The club is also home to Essential Vegan, offering a menu of delicious plant based dishes. You can sample their trademark burgers, peruse the brunch specials or try a deli sandwich. Home-made vegan cakes are also available when you fancy sweet over savoury. There is also an extensive cocktail menu in the club, plus a good selection of beers and wines.

Dalston Superstore is located on Kingsland High Street in Dalston. The club opens every day of the week, from 4pm Monday to Wednesday and 12pm from Thursday through to Sunday. There are late night closing times every day except Monday, including a 3am finish on Friday and Saturday.

This is another all-action gay bar and club within the East End, owned by London drag queens Jonny Woo and John Sizzle, who also help produce many of the shows staged at The Glory. The ground floor hosts the main bar where you can enjoy a selection of cocktails and other assorted drinks every evening of the week.

The weekend is for clubbing, when The Glory hosts its vibrant discos including a drag-fuelled Friday disco. The Glory is well known for its excellent drag shows, including a regular Sunday show with a special performer for the night. A highlight of the drag queen year at The Glory is its Lipsync 1000 contest, where guest judges and an often raucous crowd help select the winner.

The Glory is an active venue, with events and shows on most nights of the week. There is a great variety of performance shows staged, with returning acts plus acts new to the venue helping to keep the entertainment ever fresh. 

The Glory can be found on Kingsland Road in Hoggerston in East London. The main pub is free to enter during the week and also offers free entry up to 10pm at the weekend as there legendary discos kick in. Ticket prices to the shows can vary according to the performer and promoter of the show.

Spread across three floors, Ku Bar is one of the largest gay bars in London. The bar is centrally located within a stones throw from Leicester Square. The venue can accommodate around 500 guests in its bar and basement club. 

Ku Bar serves as an excellent pre-club meeting place, offering a selection of champagnes and cocktails. The bar also provides quality entertainment, with live music and cabaret among the variety of shows hosted here. Ku Bar has also recently updated its food, with a menu offering freshly made dishes including pizza from £10.50 and sharing platters from £12.50.

In the downstairs basement you will find Klub, where you can enjoy DJ hosted club nights every day of the week. You have the chance to dance away until 3am any day you choose, and entry is free Sunday to Thursday. A sprinkling of club classics is mixed in with today’s popular chart tracks to set up a lively atmosphere in which to party.

Ku Bar and Klub is the flagship venue for the KU group. Originally based on Charing Cross Road, Ku Bar is now located at 30 Lisle Street near Leicester Square, providing a great gay venue close to the heart of the capital.

This small indie bar off the Strand is a little hidden gem of a venue. There is more than a hint of nostalgia to the music booming through the bar, as classic 70s and 80s rock often fills the air. A jukebox full of classic rock selections as well as classic disco tunes helps fuel an atmosphere which is vibrant, yet friendly and welcoming to all.

There has been a pub on this site since the 17th century, and good hospitality remains the order of the day. Viewed affectionately as one of the friendliest gay bars in the capital's West End, the bar is also known for attracting the eccentric as well as the more alternative LGBTQ crowd. A fun element of a visit to the Retro Bar is looking at all the photos of iconic musicians which cover much of the walls.

The Retro Bar serves an extensive range of cocktails from £8,50 a glass, as well as a good selection of beers, wines, ciders and shots. The Retro Bar holds events through the year, such as Simon Kingsley’s homage to Kenneth Williams, entitled ‘Messing About’, with tickets priced at £13.

The Retro Bar can be found in George Court just off the Strand in central London. The venue opens every day of the week from 4pm on Monday to Thursday, and from 2pm across the weekend. From Thursday through to Saturday the bar closes at 12am, an hour later than during the week.

This popular south London bar and club has been right at the heat of the capital’s gay scene since first opening its doors in 1981. The Two Brewers is one of the top gay cabaret and drag show venues in London. The club’s iconic show bar stages fun filled cabaret every day of the week, while the large bar at the back of the venue becomes a full-on club at the weekends.

The Two Brewers has something to offer everyone with their glitzy cabaret shows. Whether you think you are the best thing to ever grace a karaoke machine or prefer styling it out with some lip syncing, this could be the place for you. Quizzes, Booty call bingo and drag battles are a further taste of what to expect.

Music and comedy also feature prominently on the show bar stage. Every Saturday sees the club’s epic drag race viewing parties from 7pm which are free to enter, after which you can head to the club bar and dance in to the early hours of the morning. The Two Brewers is also known for its huge range of value drinks.

The Two Brewers bar and club can be found on Clapham High Street, a short walk from Clapham Common tube station. The bar opens at 5pm each day, except on Saturday and Sunday when entry is from 4pm. Closing time most nights is 2am, with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights when you can party on though to 4am.

Halfway to Heaven is a lively gay venue located in the heart of the West End, with a traditional locals pub upstairs and a stage bar downstairs. Whether you are looking for a quiet after work pint, or a full on club night, Halfway to Heaven offers the lot. This is a friendly and welcoming venue featuring live entertainment throughout the week.

The traditional locals bar at Halfway to Heaven is a great place for a swift half or to relax and enjoy their range of real ales and lagers. Head down to the stage bar area of the venue and get ready to party with cabaret every day of the week. Halfway to Heaven hosts a great range of further entertainment including drag, karaoke and quizzes.

Halfway to Heaven stocks a large selection of drinks to cater for all your celebratory occasions. If you pop in on Mondays you will find the Mondays We Slay promotion, where selected drinks are priced at £2.95 all day. The cabaret in the evening from 8.30pm rounds off a fun way to spend a Monday. Check out their Whats On page to see the full line-up of acts due to play the venue.

Halfway to Heaven is located on Duncannon Street, between Charing Cross Station and Trafalgar Square. This venue is renowned for its friendly staff and is open every day of the week from 12pm. Closing times vary across the week, with Friday and Saturday providing more partying time, when the club closes at 1am.