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Restaurants and Cafes
Quo Vadis, Soho
A British haute cuisine restaurant and a private Chelsea club combining British traditions with an innovative approach. The former home of Karl Marx and once a brothel, it is now a center of attraction for theatergoers and foodies. Gay chef Jeremy Lee’s reimagined menu is based on seasonal British classics, while the club’s two bars and three private rooms keep the place alive from dusk to dawn.
Mildreds, Soho
A pioneer of London’s plant-based cuisine and a place for everyone who appreciates freedom of taste and self-expression. Founded in 1988 by Jane Muir and Diane Thomas, the establishment attracted a gay audience from the first days and became a cult corner of Soho for fans of vegetarianism. It was here, among the narrow streets of the quarter, that a new gastronomic era of London was born – the era of “bowls”.
More than three decades later, Mildreds has grown from a chamber bistro to a mini-chain: the historic restaurant in Soho has been joined by branches in King’s Cross, Dalston and several other London neighborhoods.
Kapara, Soho.
Middle Eastern tapas restaurant in the center of Soho, created by Israeli gay chef Eran Tibi. The restaurant’s menu reflects the main concept of the place – the diversity of Middle Eastern cuisine and its depth. Small dishes designed to be shared with friends are served here, and author’s cocktails are created to complement them.
The Common Press, Shoreditch
London’s first queer-intersex bookshop and café. Located at The Glass House community venue in bustling Shoreditch, this cozy “bibliocafé” hosts poetry evenings, meetings with queer authors, art exhibitions and more.
La Camionera, Hackney
The newest lesbian cafe and bar. A leisurely café by day, a friendly bar in the evening. It’s almost like being in a warm Mediterranean courtyard at a friends’ party, only in the heart of Hackney.
Bars, nightclubs and parties
Alongside the likes of Heaven, GAY, KU Bar & Club, Royal Vauxhall Tavern, The Divine, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, Zodiac and lesbian bar She Soho, independent queer parties and events are growing in London, bringing even more diversity to London’s day and nightlife.
Inferno
Details are at the link.
A unique event at the intersection of drag art and performative art. Most of the audience tries to maintain the dress code and keep up with the artists, and sometimes even outrun them, turning the whole night into an immersive theater. The parties are based on techno with elements of house and experimental electronic music. The goal of the project is not only to unite like-minded people, but also to give artists and musicians an opportunity to discover themselves.
Bootylicious
For more information. at the link.
The kind of night that’s worth canceling everything for. This is one of the oldest queer parties in England for the QTBIPOC (queer, trans, Black, Indigenous & people of color) community and their allies. The parties most often play amapiano, afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop, garage. Vogue performances are often seen here, which are an integral part of the queer community.
Riposte
For more information. at the link.
A queer place where electronic music, art, freedom and conscious consumption sit side by side. Everything is gathered in one space: live sets from residents of European clubs, performances by artists and improvised visual installations. Often during DJ sets clothes swaps (when guests exchange clothes, shoes and other things, author’s note) are organized. The organizers come up with a unique theme for each event.
Big Queer Picnic
For more information. at the link.
Open-air picnics for the LGBTQ+ community. The program includes plaids on the grass, welcome drinks in thermoses, board games and light disco sets spilling over the park. Guests bring sunscreen and bright symbols – the more colors, the more effective the overall atmosphere.
Unfold
For more information. at the link.
Cult Sunday queer after-hours in the industrial corridors of FOLD club. Hypnotic techno rules here from 5 am till noon. A perfect option for those who are not ready to put a stop to it while the city is still slumbering.
Queer House Party
For more information. at the link.
The legendary online hangout of the lockdown era that went offline from Zoom and proved that home comforts can be scaled to huge venues. DIY décor, DJs at the kitchen table and dancing on a “magic carpet” in the middle of the room to house and UK-garage.
Art and culture
Exhibitions
Leigh Bowery!, Tate Modern.
When: February 27 – August 31, 2025
For more information, go here.
Earlier this year, Tate Modern opened the first major retrospective of Leigh Bowery, the iconic star of London’s 80s clubs, performer, fashion designer and art scene provocateur. In an immersive labyrinth of rooms you can see Bowery’s legendary images in detail, learn about his collaborations with Lucian Freud and Michael Clark, and understand how his avant-garde art broke stereotypes about the body, sexuality and gender long before it became mainstream.
Edward Burra – Ithell Colquhoun, Tate Britain
When: June 13-October 19, 2025
For more information, go here.
A double retrospective of two key British artists of the 20th century, important to the LGBT+ community as well. Edward Burra’s explosive, jazz-infused nightlife paintings with delicate queer undertones are juxtaposed with surrealist works by Itel Cohoon, a bold pioneer exploring spirituality and sexuality.
Queer Britain Museum: 20 Years UK Black Pride
When: June 4 – August 31, 2025
For more information, go here.
Britain’s first LGBTQ+ museum lives in a mode of endless renewal: every few months the exhibitions change, and with them the perspectives on queer culture. The headliner for summer 2025 is the 20 Years UK Black Pride exhibition, a joint curatorial effort between the museum team and Lady Phyll (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah), founder of the largest Black Pride in Europe.
Caspar Heinemann: Sod All, Studio Voltaire
When: May 1 – August 3, 2025
For more information, go here.
Mystical folklore combined with queer counterculture: in his first solo show in Britain, artist and poet Caspar Heinemann builds an altar to DIY aesthetics. Sculptures made from improvised materials, fragile installations and whispered occult stories add up to something between an exhibition and a secret club. Here rituals invented in the kitchen neighbor with punk irony, and queer sensuality grows out of herbs, rust and old amulets.
LGBTQIA+ Tours at The British Museum
When: July 6 – August 31, 2025
For more information. At the link.
Volunteers at the British Museum are running special themed tours throughout July and August, focusing on exhibits from antiquity to the present day related to LGBTQIA+ history. The itinerary includes both the best-known items in the collection and works selected specifically for these tours.
Similar free tours are being conducted by Victoria & Albert Museum South Kensington on the last Saturday of each month. You can schedule a visit by clicking here.
Theater and live performances
The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs, Kiln Theatre.
When: June 30-July 12, 2025
For more information, visit the link.
After a sold-out run in 2022, playwright Iman Qureshi’s musical returns to the stage. The story is about a London lesbian choir that dreams of performing on the main Pride stage. In rehearsals, the characters learn to get along with each other, experience personal dramas and find support together. This is a warm, funny musical production about love, friendship and the power of community.
Oscar at The Crown, The Crown
When: May 21 – August 31, 2025
For more information, visit the link.
Imagine that Oscar Wilde lives in the not-too-distant future, and a group of queer teenagers are hiding from the totalitarian regime in an underground club. In this neon bunker a musical is played out: music at the intersection of pop and punk, dynamic choreography and references to reality shows like The Real Housewives. The format is fully immersive: the audience stands next to the actors, moves and becomes part of the action.
The Diana Mixtape, HERE at Outernet.
When: July 29 – August 10, 2025
For more information, visit the link.
A two-week drag show where London’s drag queens playfully pay tribute to Princess Diana. Expect spectacular “royal” costumes, remixes of 80-90s hits, live vocals and a good portion of self-irony. The venue is new – HERE at Outernet is located off Tottenham Court Road.
The years 2025-2026 are marked by several significant LGBT+ anniversaries. One of them is the 40th anniversary of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) movement, the same alliance of miners and queer activists from 1984-85 about which the movie Pride was made. The National Theatre is already preparing a new PRIDE musical based on the story, with director Matthew Warchus and writer Steven Beresford working shoulder to shoulder again, with an expected premiere in 2026.
Movie
Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest
When: September 13 – 21, 2025
Where: multiple East London venues
For more details , follow the link.
The program includes fresh LGBT+ films: full-length and short films, documentaries and classics. In addition to screenings, there will also be workshops, performances and parties. The festival was created by volunteers, so the atmosphere at the event is always friendly and relaxed.
BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2026
When: March 2026
Where: BFI Southbank
Europe’s premier queer film festival celebrates its fortieth anniversary. Every year Flare shows fresh films from all over the world. In 2025, the festival ran from March 19 to 30; in 2026, the event is again expected to take place in the second half of the month (the exact dates will be announced later).
