London's best LGBTQ+ clubs and nights

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Jochan Embley17 October 2018

A report published last year found that more than half of the capital’s LGBTQ venues had closed within the last decade — meaning it’s more important than ever to support London’s scene.

An LGBTQ club can provide a lot of things. Of course, they can offer up a whole lot of fun, but more importantly, they can provide a refuge for clubbers who may not feel comfortable expressing themselves elsewhere in the city.

Despite all the challenges, though, the London scene is marching on with pride. In no particular order, these are the best LGBTQ clubs and nights in the capital.

VFD

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A night spent in VFD’s sweaty London basement is always a blast. The crowd it draws in is a trendy, invariably friendly one, matched by the welcoming staff, all of whom enjoy the crowd-pleasing bangers that reverberate the space. Keep an eye out for Burning Down The House — an ode to all that was great about the 80s — which is (usually) a monthly affair. Expect everything from Madonna to Joy Division.

66 Stoke Newington Road, N16 7XB, vfdalston.com

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Union

Vauxhall is a hub for the city’s LGBTQ clubbers, and Union is the choice of those who are in for the long haul. It’s open seven nights a week, with its mammoth events starting close to midnight and going on well into the following morning — basically, if you stay the until closing time, you’ll be on the lookout for brunch once you emerge. The music focuses broadly on house and techno.

66 Albert Embankment, SE1 7TP, clubunion.co.uk

Dalston Superstore

Eivind Hansen Photography

Another Dalston favourite, this queer venue puts on events six nights of the week. The Friday slot is always worth going to — it welcomes a range of different organisers each week — while its regular midweek events are well-worth braving going out on a school night for. Sundays are particularly great — start it off with some restorative feasting at the Disco Brunch, and then see off the week in style by grooving to Last Resort, spinning a mix of disco, soul and pop.

117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB, dalstonsuperstore.com

The WayOut Club

This club is something of an institution in the transgender clubbing scene, first opening its doors all the way back in 1993. It’s an all-inclusive place, with all walks of life getting down on the dancefloor, and the atmosphere is a very welcoming one. The club, which blasts out the chart hits, is only open one night a week, on a Saturday. If you visit and happen to see the club’s legendary owner, Vicky Lee, be sure to stop for a chat — she’s hugely charismatic and always happy to say hello.

The Minories, 64-73 Minories, EC3N 1JL, thewayoutclub.com

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The Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Another of Vauxhall’s famous stalwarts, this Grade II-listed venue is an icon of the LGBTQ community. Duckie, on a Saturday night, is the one to visit for: it’s been a fixture of the queer scene for more than two decades now, and is currently hosted by the capital’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé. It’s got a fun, rowdy, anything-goes kind of vibe to it, with the music veering wildly from sugar-coated pop to rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Expect the unexpected, and revel in exactly that.

372 Kennington Lane, SE11 5HY, vauxhalltavern.com

Little Gay Brother

Ayesha H Photography

A night out with Little Gay Brother is always about more than just the (nonetheless great) music — there will be dancers, performers and, if you’re lucky, even a drag queen on a treadmill. It goes without saying that it’s all riotously good fun. Aside from their forthcoming appearances at Fabric, you can catch all the madness at the one of the bi-monthly queer raves at Omeara in London Bridge. They are a festival favourite too, so keep an eye out during the warmer months.

Various venues, littlegaybrother.com

The Glory

This Haggerston venue is only just approaching its fourth birthday, but has already become one of the capital’s favourite venues for drag extravaganzas. No particular event stands out, but that’s because there are so many great ones, all throughout the week. One night it will be karaoke, the next a non-binary cabaret — or maybe even a drag impersonation of Theresa May. It’s owned and run by Jonny Woo and John Sizzle, two icons of London’s queer scene.

281 Kingsland Road, E2 8AS, theglory.co

Horse Meat Disco

Disco is pretty much everywhere these days — the genre had a resurgence at the turn of the decade and has barely let up steam since. In London, at least, Horse Meat Disco can be credited in no small part to getting that all going. Their all-inclusive queer parties travel around the country and the rest of Europe, but in the capital there are two main places to catch them — either at their long-running Sunday residency at the Eagle in Vauxhall, or at one of their regular shows at Hangar in London Fields.

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She Soho

This Lesbian-focused bar — one of the very few London has to offer — puts on some pretty great nights throughout the week. Bad Girls Club, every Thursday, belts out bangers by female artists, while Fridays and Saturdays both welcome a revolving cast of women DJs to get behind the decks until 2am (and occasionally later).

23 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JL, she-soho.com

Sink The Pink

Luke Dyson

It’s all about excess at Sink The Pink. The drag collective — comprising an unapologetically boisterous cast of drag queens, dancers, artists, designers and musicians — started out life a decade ago at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club and has now grown into one of the country’s most popular LGBTQ+ club nights (it recently sold out the 5,000-capacity Brixton Academy). The nights are absolutely wild — the louder and wilder, the better, basically. Sink The Pink travels all around the country, so keep an eye on the website for news of any London appearances.

Various locations, sinkthepink.co.uk

Fabric

OnlyByNight

Fabric recently announced details of its revamped Sunday programming, which will include a monthly LGBT day party. It’s looking pretty great so far, with the likes of Little Gay Brother and Jay Jay Revlon announced among the first string of performers. It’ll be the first time the Farringdon club has hosted a string of dedicated queer nights for 15 years, so it’s not to be missed. (All of Fabric’s toilets are already gender-neutral, and will of course remain so for its Sunday events).

77a Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ, fabriclondon.com

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