Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
pp.284-285.
Venerable north London establishment
offering cabaret and dancing almost every night. The
upstairs
Shu
ewick
bar is in a quieter pub style with an
attached terrace.
Sun-Tues noon-1am, Wed & Thurs
noon-2am, Fri & Sat noon-3am.
COVENT GARDEN
Retro Bar
2 George Court (off Strand), WC2
T
020 7839
8760,
W
retrobarlondon.co.uk;
!
Charing Cross; map
p.132. Friendly bar
tucked down a quiet alleyway off the
Strand, playing classic indie, rock and pop.
Mon-Fri
noon-11pm, Sat 2-11pm, Sun 2-10.30pm.
DALSTON
Ì
Dalston Superstore
117 Kingsland High St, E8
T
020 7254 2273,
W
dalstonsuperstore.com; Dalston
Junction Overground; map p.291.
The hottest late-night
destination in east London, catering for a fashionably
mixed but often gay crowd, with some nights gayer than
others; try out Handsome for the boys, or Club Lesley and
Sister Pantychrist for the girls. Daytimes bring music, art
and food.
Check site for closing times; open Mon from
noon, Tues-Sun 10am.
KING'S CROSS AND BLOOMSBURY
Central Station
37 Wharfdale Rd, N1
T
020 7278
3294,
W
centralstation.co.uk;
!
King's Cross; map
p.120.
Late-opening pub offering cabaret, cruisey club
nights and the UK's only gay sports bar.
Sun-Wed noon-
1am, Thurs noon-2am, Fri & Sat noon-4am.
New Bloomsbury Set
76 Marchmont St, WC1
T
020
7383 3084,
W
newbloomsburyset.co.uk;
!
Russell
Square; map p.120.
Hit happy hour at the right time and
get cheap and cheerful cocktails in this basement bar. Best
enjoyed by securing one of their cute and cosy snugs.
Mon-Sat 4-11.30pm, Sun 4-10.30pm.
27
SOUTH LONDON
Bridge
8 Voltaire Rd, SW4
T
020 3632 6426. Clapham
North; map pp.310-311.
New, brash venue in a train
arch, mixing cocktails and tunes for a buff Clapham crowd.
Sun-Thurs 4pm-midnight, Fri & Sat 4pm-3am.
Kazbar
50 Clapham High St, SW4
T
020 7622 0070,
W
kazbarclapham.com;
!
Clapham North; map
pp.310-311.
Modern, mostly buff boyz, split-level
bar; upstairs is a lounge area, while there is popular
alfresco eating out front on the street. A touch of Soho
in south London.
Mon & Tues 5-11pm, Wed &
Thurs 5pm-midnight, Fri 5pm-1am, Sat 4pm-1am,
Sun 1-11pm.
The Royal Vauxhall Tavern
372 Kennington Lane,
SE11
T
020 7820 1222,
W
rvt.org.uk;
!
Vauxhall;
map pp.310-311.
This huge, disreputable, divey
drag and cabaret pub is home to legendary alternative
night Duckie on Saturdays. The rest of the week brings
a changing calendar of performance that attracts a
varied but often older crowd.
Mon-Thurs 7pm-
midnight, Fri 7pm-2am, Sat 9pm-2am, Sun
2pm-midnight.
SHOREDITCH
George & Dragon
2-4 Hackney Rd, E2
T
020 7012
1100;
!
Old Street; map pp.192-193.
Dandies,
fashionistas and locals meet in this lively, often rammed
east London hangout. The interior set-up is traditional, but
the attitudes are not. A perfect place to start a night in the
east - it's only stumbling distance from the
Joiners Arms
.
Daily 6pm-midnight.
Ì
Joiners Arms
116-118 Hackney Rd, E2
T
07916
868839,
W
joinershoreditch.com;
!
Old Street; map
pp.192-193.
Atmospheric bar with regular DJs and funky
dancefloor. Open late at weekends, it attracts a diverse
crowd with a trendy-cum-eurotrash sweaty vibe.
Mon-Wed 5pm-2am, Thurs 5pm-3am, Fri & Sat
5pm-4am, Sun 2pm-2am.
CAMDEN
The Black Cap
171 Camden High St, NW1
T
020 7485
0538,
W
theblackcap.com;
!
Camden Town; map
EVENTS AND FESTIVALS
London's biggest gay events - Pride and the Lesbian and Gay Film Festival - have both had
cash woes the last few years, but remain centrepieces of the calendar. London's
Pride
lands in
late June or early July, taking over central London and featuring a massive rally in Trafalgar
Square, a colourful, whistle-blowing march through the city streets, live cabaret in Leicester
Square and a women's stage in Soho. Full details on the website
W
pridelondon.org.
Gay festivals provide a new way to enjoy the summer: As One In The Park (May,
W
asoneinthepark.co.uk) brings a pop-led programme to east London's Victoria Park, while
weekender Lovebox (July,
W
lovebox.net) is at its gayest on Sundays.
In March and April, the British Film Institute hosts the annual
Lesbian and Gay Film
Festival
(
W
llgff.org.uk), which celebrates new cinema from around the world. For more arts
check out the local gay press, try Tuesday's Bar Wotever at the
Royal Vauxhall Tavern
, or check
radical gay arts group LeftFrontArt (
W
facebook.com/leftfrontart) for more pointers.
