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Gay bars and clubs, the cultural hubs that have long defined the LGBT+ community and have been host to many of its greatest victories, are closing
at an alarming rate. London has lost over half of its gay venues since 2006, dropping to roughly 50 locations. Rising rents, gentrification, and
changing social habits are the driving force behind this decline.
Amongst the bars that have closed in the past three years are G-A-Y and G-A-Y Late in Soho, and two of the city's best known and most iconic gay bars in East London, The Glory pub in Haggerston and The Joiners Arms on Hackney Road, both of which closed as part of plans to redevelop their respective areas. In the last year there has been some good news with 3 new LGBT+ venues and the return of two stalwarts of the gay scene, but many other venues have had to diversify their programming by blending traditional nightlife with drag, cabaret, and community-focused daytime events to try and stay viable. | |
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While there are still around 200 bars and clubs left in the capital, there are only about 50 LGBT+ venues remaining. London's mayor,
Sir Sadiq Khan has said that urgent action was needed to be taken in light of what has happened.
"I want London's LGBT+ community to feel truly valued, happy and safe in our great city and I know how important these spaces are to its well being," said Sir Sadiq Khan in a statement. "Where they have survived, LGBT+ spaces are extremely valuable." With anti-LGBT+ hate crimes on the rise, the importance of safe spaces for queer people cannot be underestimated. | 
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan. Photo: Chabad Lubavitch CC BY 2.0 Wikimedia Commons |
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To be a gay man in a gay bar is to be in the majority for a few fleeting hours, a short-term reprieve from the overwhelming heterosexuality
that dominates life outside those four walls. Every gay bar that makes its last call is a massive blow to the liberation of gay and trans people.
The closure of our bars and clubs can be a terrible loss for their loyal patrons, so it's worth us remembering again the history and the
enduring atmosphere of those much loved venues over the years.
In a packed pub, revellers chat, sip lager and look at their phones. Suddenly a side door crashes open, and in walks drag sensation John Sizzle, dressed as a hair-raisingly accurate Diana, Princess of Wales. She saunters demurely to a halo, fashioned from tinsel and coat hangers and stuck to the wall, stands under it, and starts lip-syncing to Beyoncé’s Halo. The crowd erupts. It was just a regular Tuesday night at The Glory, the Haggerston pub that enjoyed a decade of fun from 2014 to 2024, but sadly now is closed. The Joiners Arms opened in 1997 and was described as "Britain's trendiest gay dive" with gay public figures including Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Patrick Wolf known to have frequented the venue, which had been welcoming to a range of gay subcultures such as the bear scene and drag queens. And then there's Bromptons, that big and cruisy bar that opened back in 1984 and was once part of the now-defunct Earl’s Court gay scene. Its been turned into flats. The Coleherne was a well-known music venue from the 1950s, and a popular landmark leather bar during the 1970s and 1980s. It tried to rebrand as a gastropub and became The Pembroke. It was London’s oldest gay bar until its closure and American author Armistead Maupin included references to The Coleherne in his Tales of the City book Babycakes. And don't forget The Salisbury in St Martin's Lane. This pub was frequented by actors and gay men in the 1950/60s becoming completely gay in the 1970s. It ceased trading as a gay pub in mid 1980's with the opening of other gay bars in the area. | |
The Salisbury - Photo: Garry Knight CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
The Salisbury was featured in the film “Victim” with gay leading actor Dirk Bogarde.
He played the role of Melville Farr, a highly successful and prominent barrister in London.
He risks his thriving career, reputation, and marriage to expose an underground blackmail ring targeting gay men.
The movie helped to set in motion a change in law and the legalisation of homosexuality in 1967.
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In the last decade many of London's LGBT+ pubs and nightclubs became thriving businesses but rent hikes from landlords and construction for London housing
and public transport projects have more recently forced many to close their doors. Petitions and protests at the closure of venues have drawn support
from hundreds of patrons, but they have limited power to resist large property owners and off-shore investors leading redevelopment projects.
One of the more recent bars to close G-A-Y Late, succumbed to several external pressures, including building works, parking and safety concerns. In a statement issued to social media, the venue's owner, Jeremy Joseph said the decision was made with "great sadness". "I have done everything I can to try to fight on and keep G-A-Y Late going, but it is simply not possible to run it in its current location", he wrote. | |
G-A-Y Bar in Old Compton Street Photo: Ross Burgess CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons | Just a few months later Jeremy Joseph then announced he had made another "tough decision" to close the main G‑A‑Y Bar in Old Compton Street after his other venue, Heaven nightclub, had its licence suspended and put under review, following an incident when it was alleged that a member of security staff assaulted a woman. The security guard was eventually found not guilty and Heaven soon reopened. |
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And so, it's not all bad news:
Another of London's oldest gay bars has also reopened after it was forced to close suddenly in 2015. The owners shut the venue down following some controversial redevelopment plans to convert the upper floors into flats. Now that much loved pub has new owners and they have invested £2m to bring the venue back to its former glory. The Black Cap in Camden has been hosting cabaret and live performances since as far back as the 1950s. By the mid-60's it became predominantly known for its gay clientele and its drag queen cabaret, so they started to promote themselves as the "Palladium of Drag". By the 70's a regular performer each Sunday lunchtime was Rex Jameson's drag persona, Mrs Shufflewick. Sunday crowds were large and included Charles Hawtrey, Barry Humphries and Barry Cryer. | 
The Black Cap Photo: R Sones CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
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The Black Cap helped launch the careers of drag stars such as Danny La Rue, Mrs Shufflewick, Regina Fong and even Lily Savage (Paul O'Grady),
who regularly performed in the downstairs bar in the 1970s and 1980s. Paul's widower Andre Portasio has loaned the venue a number of artefacts from
the performer's career, which features in the newly named Lily's Bar. Similarly the new upstairs bar is now called Shufflewicks.
Alex Green was a regular from the 1980s and helped organise a weekly vigil outside the venue after it closed down. He launched the #WeAreTheBlackCap campaign group and says, "To see the respect the owners have given us and the community is incredible. These guys have really listened to what we want." | |
The City of Quebec - Photo: Ewan-M CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
The City of Quebec is one of London's oldest LGBT+ bars and it has recently undergone a six-figure renovation and reopened to the public.
This quiet gay pub with traditional Victorian decor is in the heart of Marylebone and has been a beloved cornerstone of the LGBT+ community
since 1946. They offer a dynamic mix of events from karaoke to quiz nights to live performances and entertainment in its basement club bar.
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And there are some new venues too:
The Divine is East London's newest queer bar & performance space in Dalston. It's owned by iconic drag queens Jonny Woo and John Sizzle and is split across two floors with a main bar upstairs and a performance venue in the basement. They feature some of the finest queerdo DJ and draggy performances, as well as drag competitions and fringe theatre before dancing into the night as the place transforms into a sequin-studded, drag-fuelled, pop-tastic disco. Betty & Joan’s has opened in Elephant Park, just off the Elephant & Castle. This is one of London's newest gay bars and serves as the permanent home for the UK's first LGBT+ stand-up comedy club. It's the creation of the team behind The Queer Comedy Club and is named after two comedy icons, Betty White and Joan Rivers. During the day you can ‘werk from our home’ with free wifi and a comfortable surroundings and then enjoy a relaxing drink with mates and watch the entertainment on the cabaret stage and hear the beats from their in-house DJs. | |
| A new queer club night called Ladida has taken over the basement of the Metropolis strip club in Bethnal Green. This inclusive disco and dancing in East London caters to "the gays and the babes". It's a mix of pop, R&B, dance, hip-hop, and reggaeton bangers. Metropolis is a four-floor straight strip club, and Ladida have taken over the basement complete with its strip pole podiums and seating. | 
A night out with the boys - Photo: Delegate CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons |
| How can you can support London's queer and gay bars? Well we've listed some of our favourite LGBT+ venues in our comprehensive OutGoing Guide to London, so you can enjoy your night out in style and find out more about Pride in London 2026. | |
