History Of Gay Bar/Club Scene In London

London, England is one of the oldest modern cities in the world, so naturally it would have a deep and rich history. This is also the case when it comes to the city’s history of gay bars and night clubs. Some reports, as far back as the early 17th century, mention the existence of bars and night clubs that catered to, or at least tolerated, openly gay clientele in many major cities in Europe. On July 8, 1810 in London, England a bar named The White Swan on Vere Street, was raided by the BOW Street Police during the Vere Street Coterie. During the raid, 27 men were arrested, but ultimately only 8 were tried and convicted, mostly likely since the other men provided bribes. Of those 8 men, 2 were executed, Keith Magnum and Constanza Beucheat for sodomy. The other 6 men were pilloried for this offense in front of a violent and hostile crowd, a lot of whom were very angry women, were throwing various items such as dead cats, rotten fish, mud balls and rotten vegetables. The White Swan was allegedly the site were lot of gay marriages were performed by Reverend John Church.

The first gay bar in Britain, in the modern sense, was The Cave of the Golden Calf, it opened as a night club in London at an underground location 9 Heddon Street in 1912. The nightclub became a regular hangout for the wealthy, aristocrats, and bohemians and was set-up as an avant-garde and artistic venture by its creator Frida Strindberg nee Uhl.

In 1967, after homosexuality was decriminalized in the UK, the culture of gay bars become more visibly present and prevalent in London. Gradually, Soho became the cultural centre of LGBT culture, and by the 1990's the area had become firmly established as the gay are of the city, with Old Compton street being the being the centre of gay bars, gay clubs, cafes, and restaurants.

The Best Times To Visit Gay Bars London

With London being one of the largest cities in the world, every night is a good night to go to a gay bar or gay club since there is always a party happening somewhere. That being said, there are always nights that are more popular than others, like when there is an LGBT event or celebration happening in the city. There are also a few mainstays in the gay bars London scene at bars like The Royal Vauxhall Tavern where they do a few different weekly events. Mondays is gay bingo which is less of a traditional dance party and more of gathering. Every Saturday, for the past 18 years, they have "Duckie" which is a night of performance art injected between regular DJ sets, it is certainly for the open minded since the live show can both confuse and entertain. The Sunday cabaret show is a gay bars London institution that should not be missed, but be warned that the show can be very rude and crude and should not be attended by those with a fragile psyche. They are also currently hosting "Drag Idol UK" which is happening on 3 separate Thursdays this year, with plans to continue the show at the venue in the years to come. You can actually find an up to date list of all their upcoming events right here.

There are some dates that are an obvious choice to hit gay bars in London, such as anytime during London Pride with every gay bar in the SOHO area being filled with members of the LGBT community, except for the day of the historic parade down Oxford Street. Gay clubs London nights are every night of the week since you can find a cabaret show or a dance party any night of the week. London has the largest gay scene in the UK, other cities also have great gay bars and clubs, but gay clubs London scene is certainly the top of the list.

Listing Of Gay Clubs And Gay Bars London

Admiral Duncan

Type: Gay Bar
Space: Small pub with no seating. Standing room only allows for a great social atmosphere
Crowd: All types. More tourists than local Londoners.
Address: 54 Old Compton Street, Soho, London W1D 4UD
Website:www.facebook.com/AdmiralDuncan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Admiral Duncan is in the most famous street, in the most famous gay area of London, so there are more tourists on any given night than there are Locals. They have a jukebox that plays hits from the eighties and nineties. There is no seating so the atmosphere is very social since everyone is forced to stand and mingle.

Dalston SuperStore

Type: Cafe by day, gay club by night
Space: Small cafe with tables during the day and art for sale on the walls, at night they remove the tables and it becomes a busy rowdy dance party.
Crowd: Home to all sorts. Popular with a large and diverse LGBT crowd, but welcoming to all and everyone.
Address: 117 Kingsland Road, London E8 2PB
Website:www.DaltonSuperStore.com
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: They are known for the food just as much as the parties. They have many different themed night where you can listen to any style of music you want. Whether it's 90's hip-hop on the "Put It In Your Mouth Night" or disco on "Discosodoma" night. IF you are around during a weekend morning, make sure to go for the brunch.

Fire

Type: Gay Club
Space: Industrial style decor, located beneath a railway arch with 3 neon lit rooms.
Crowd: All night partiers who dance until the early hours of the morning
Address: 39 Parry Street, Vauxhall, London SW8 1RT
Website:www.facebook.com/FireLondon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: This is not a night club for the casual partier. Parties here last all night and you can find mostly anyone or anything you are looking for to have a good time. Some of the best central London DJ's spin regular tech-house and electro-pop sets.

Freedom

Type: Fashionable cocktail bar and gay club.
Space: Large venue with an upstairs main room and a basement, typically for dance parties.
Crowd: All types and some tourists since its in London's historic Soho district.
Address: National House, 60-66 Wardour St, London W1F 0TA
Website:www.FreedomBArSoho.com
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: They have very good cocktails made by talented mixologist. Thursday nights are a great night to visit since there is no cover, free coat check, and all night happy hour deals. The staff is very friendly and the dancing poles in the basement add to the fun on busy nights. Upstairs does tasty bar snack to star your night and they table service with larger booths for groups visiting the club.

G-A-Y Bar

Type: Gay Club.
Space: 3 story gay club with a lesbian gay bar on the lower floor.
Crowd: Wide variety of clientele due to the size of the club and the different types of music played in each room. Lesbian bar on the lower floor is usually patroned by women and drag kings.
Address: 30 Old Compton St, London W1D 4UR
Website:www.G-A-Y.co.uk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: G-A-Y Bar is the perfect place to start your night. They have a video jukebox and large screens displaying customers text messages to the club. For late night drinking you can head over to nearby G-A-Y Late to keep the party going.

Heaven

Type: One of London's largest night clubs.
Space: Located in several railway arches under the concourse of Charing Cross station. The space has multiple rooms each with its own sounds system and DJ.
Crowd: Dependent on the night you visit. Mostly diverse crowd. Mondays brings in student and industry worker in for free making it the busiest night of the week.
Address: Under The Arches, Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NG
Website:www.HeavenNightClub-London.com
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Heaven evokes a very strong opinion from most of London's gay community. People either love or hate the current Heaven since it has been bought and sold a few times in recent years. A lot of people are upset with its perceived exclusivity and rude bouncers. Other praise how much they love going to Heavens G-A-Y nights. The only way to find out is to visit yourself, either way you'll have a good time.

Ku Bar

Type: Gay Club with live DJ's playing every night of the week.
Space: One of London's largest gay clubs spread over 3 floors with a 500 people capacity.
Crowd: Each club caters to a different type of crowd and that crowd is dependent on the theme of the night. On any night that you go, you are very likely to find the crowd you are looking for.
Address: 30 Lisle Street, Chinatown Soho, London WC2H 7BA
Website:www.Ku-Bar.co.uk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Ku Bar is a very popular after work hang-out since they have a great selection of weekly specials. They also get a large crowd any night of the week since they have live DJ sets every night. They have an exclusive Champagne Bar which is always a good spot to bring a man you are trying to impress. With so many different rooms and live music every night of the week, they always have something for everyone at KuKlub.

Retro Bar

Type: Hidden Gay Bar
Space: Two story classic pub setting with a quieter atmosphere upstairs.
Crowd: Eclectic crowd, with more women than you would expect to see in a gay bar.
Address: 2 George Court, Charing Cross, London WC2N 6HH
Website:RetroBarLondon.co.uk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Retro Bar is one of gay London's hidden gems. The music is a mix of 80's, 90's, New Romantic, goth, and alternative. They have classic images of Bowie on the walls, which is a break from the traditional pub esthetic. They have a great jukebox that doesn't include anything that couldn't be considered retro.

Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Type: Gay bar with live a entertainment stage
Space: Gay Bar/Gay Club
Crowd: Eclectic Crowd, dependent on the evenings theme
Address: 372 Kennington Ln, London SE11 5HY
Website:www.RoyalVauxHallTaver.com
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is a gay bars London institution. Its one of the best gay clubs in London, and especially south of the river. It is outside the the historic gay part of the city so it is less filled with tourist and instead packed with local gay Londoners. You can find a ton of different stuff to do here on any given night from Drag Bingo on Monday to the very unique Duckie on Saturday nights. They also have great prices and drink specials that won't break the bank.

Shadow Lounge

Type: Exclusive members only gay club.
Space: Large gay club with private booths and a live entertainment stage.
Crowd: Private members, or pre-registered guests only.
Address: 5 Brewer St, London W1F 0RF
Website:www.ShadowLounge.co.uk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Shadow Lounge is an exclusive member sonly gay club with a yearly membership free of £350. You can register as a guess if you book in advance or you can take your chances in the line, but if it's a busy night, your odds are slim. Since they charge the membership fee, they put an emphasis on comfort, service and quality. If you want a place where you can feel welcomed and relaxed, then Shadow Lounge might be what you are looking for.

Duke Of Wellington

Type: Laid back gay bar
Space: Traditional pub in gay London
Crowd: Slightly older, over 30 gay crowd
Address: 77 Wardour St, London W1D 6QA
Website:www.facebook.com/The-Duke-Of-Wellington
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The Duke Of Wellington is a more laid back option for enjoying a pint at a casual gay bar. The crowd is a bit older with a 30's plus crowd on most nights. In London's soho neighborhood, the Duke is a great place to watch and soak up the atmosphere of the most famous gay part of the city. Thursday is the busiest night, and the bar is a great spot to begin or end your night in gay London.

Central Station

Type: Gay bar/gay club
Space: Traditional gay bar upstairs, gay club live entertainment venue in the basement.
Crowd: Laid back crowd of slightly older gay men.
Address: 37 Wharfdale Rd, London N1 9SD
Website:www.CentralStation.co.uk
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Central Station is a more traditional London pub that houses a slightly older crowd usually. They have a great roof top terrace where you can enjoy a nice meal and then you can head downstairs for some pints and live entertainment on many nights. They always have a free pool table available that just pairs perfectly with a couple of pints. They also have a few budget rooms you can stay in which still retain some of the buildings historic 19th century charm.

ManPlay has all of the information you need about all things involved in gay culture. Gay bars London scene is very diverse and has a ton to offer. There are hundreds of gay friendly bars and gay clubs London has to offer, and with the acceptance of alternative lifestyles being more prevalent in our modern society, there is no where that needs to be avoided or that you need to be cautionary of. The city is your oyster, but if you want to find a pub or club full of gay men looking for a night of fun, check out any of the bars we have mentioned above and we promise you will have a night to remember.