The Nomadic Boys show first-timers where to party in London – GayCities
London has a terrific gay scene. It’s huge, spread out across different parts of the city, particularly in Soho, Vauxhall, and Hoxton. There are bars for everyone, open every day of the week. We love the buzzy Comptons, super sexy Circa in Soho, the lesbian bar She Soho, Arch Bar in Clapham, and the awesome queer space, Glass House in Bethnal Green – to name but a few.
When it comes to partying, the gay scene of London is truly alive and on fire!
The capital is awash with some spectacular places to dance till the early hours, especially on weekends and public holidays. There are an array of queer parties happening for everyone in our LGBTQ family from the wild Circuit-style We Parties at Electric Brixton to the pop-fueled gay night jamborees at G-A-Y Heaven. Whatever you’re into, you’ll very easily find your vibe in London.
As proud Londoners, we’ve a wealth of experience partying in the capital for decades. We’ve seen the city’s gay scene evolve massively as it has been forced to adapt to the growth of gay dating apps, gentrification causing rising commercial rents, and more recently, lockdowns caused by the global pandemic.
Read on as we guide you through our 5 favorite places to party in London that we think first time visitors to the city should check out:
1. Feel It @ Omeara in London Bridge
Feel It is the latest addition to our capital’s gay scene, bursting out of the COVID closet in June 2021 and still going strong. It’s open to everyone in our LGBTQI family. Every Friday, crowds gather at the Omeara club in London Bridge to party.
Feel It attracts some of the hottest DJs in the business with a focus on dance house music: to get an idea, check out their Spotify and Soundcloud playlists which they link to in their Instagram profile. Feel It gets super popular thanks to it being co-produced by one of London’s most famous drag queens, Ms. Jodie Harsh. This is the place to come to spot famous queer British celebs like Olympic diver, Tom Daley, and the cast of “Slag Wars”.
2. G-A-Y @ Heaven in Embankment
G-A-Y is an institution in the UK gay scene. Owner, Jeremy Joseph started with the G-A-Y bar in Old Compton Street in Soho, expanded to another “G-A-Y Late” bar round the corner, another in Manchester, and then in 2013 bought the superclub, Heaven. Heaven nightclub is another important staple on the London gay scene, hosting parties since the 1980s. For many of us, it was the first place we came to when we took our tentative baby steps out of the closet!
Today, G-A-Y Heaven is the place to come on weekends to party to good old-fashioned pop music. Every weekend, around 1,500 gay kids in their teens and 20s come to dance the night away. G-A-Y has also become the most popular performance venue for prolific gay icons. This is where the latest Ru Paul’s Drag Race contestant will make their debut, for example, along with other huge starts ranging from Kylie, the Spice Girls, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, and Mariah Carey…to name but a few!
3. Wayout @ The White Swan Bar in Limehouse
Wayout is one of the best nightclubs for London’s transexual community. It’s been a haven and unique safe space for our trans family since 1993. Their parties happen once a month on a Saturday night – check their website and social media for details of the next event. They welcome everyone here regardless of gender. There is no dress code either (although team shirts are discouraged).
This is the place to come to meet and hang out with the full spectrum of trans girls including first-out and regular, cross-dressers, Drag Queens, and pre/post-op folks. Wayout also strives to offer a changing area to those that want to make up and get dressed when they arrive. We love Wayout. There is zero attitude here. Everyone is friendly and just wants to have a good night out!
4. WE Party @ Electric Brixton
The WE Party is massive! Every 3 or so months a large venue in the capital (usually Electric Brixton) hosts the WE franchise’s latest party. It usually coincides with a public holiday or big event, with a theme for each, like “Pink Pride” in June, “Brazilian Nights” during the August public holiday, “As One” Easter Weekend, and the big New Year’s Day event.
WE is the main circuit-style party in London, with crowds of hot topless bodies, sexy oiled-up GoGo dancers, pyrotechnics, video screens, elaborate light shows, and some pretty-out-there Cirque du Soleil-type performers! When we say it’s massive, we’re not exaggerating. The Electric Brixton has a capacity for nearly 2,000 people and each party is always a sellout. They also attract famous queer celebrities like Francois Sagat and George Michael (RIP). Our advice, try to buy Advance Tickets, which are cheaper and include a queue jump for the coat check.
5. Beyond in Vauxhall
If you don’t want to wait until the next, WE Party, then Beyond’s got your back! Every Saturday evening, this famous club in Vauxhall has a different themed party that rolls into an exciting After Party till the early hours of Sunday. Themed nights include, “Summer Sessions”, “Beyond Heat”, and “Madmen”.
Beyond has been going from strength to strength since its inception back in 2002 by Orange Nation. It’s located right in the heart of the gay Vauxhall scene of London, minutes walking distance to Vauxhall tube/train station. Much like WE Party, the Beyond events feature sexy GoGo dancers, performers, dramatic light shows, famous DJs, and an abundance of hot men with chiseled torsos and abs so hard you could grate cheese off them!
The After Parties at Beyond are legendary – arrive at around 6-7 am on a Sunday morning (yes morning!) and the place is heaving! We also love the gritty location – tucked in railway arches with a capacity of 2,000.
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