Gay bars in Birmingham

The Village Inn moved to Kent Street

The Village Inn closed at 152 Hurst Street in March 2025 and reopened days later inside the Nightingale building — Essex House, on the corner of 18 Kent Street, B5 6RD. If a listing still sends you to Hurst Street for it, that listing is out of date.

The Loft moved too

The Loft left its Bromsgrove Street home of fourteen years in May 2025 and reopened on Kent Street, in the same Nightingale complex. Both moves pulled the Village's late-night centre of gravity firmly onto Kent Street.

Why old listings are wrong

Yelp, TripAdvisor and similar aggregators are slow to update after a move, so they still carry the pre-2025 addresses for these two. We list current addresses only, cross-checked against venue sites and Brum Outloud, the local LGBTQ+ listings hub — but opening days shift with events, so always confirm with the venue before you travel.

With that settled, here is every venue by type. For the whole picture at a glance, jump to the full table.

The Fox

17 Lower Essex Street, B5 6SN · Thu–Sun

A traditional Victorian community pub with a pool room and a garden, long popular with the lesbian community and a reliably unpretentious start to a night in the Village. Per Brum Outloud it opens Thursday evening and runs later Friday and Saturday, closing earlier on Sunday.

The Fountain Inn

102 Wrentham Street, B5 6QL · Daily

A traditional gay pub with letting rooms above — one of the older fixtures of the quarter, open daily and a steady, low-key option when the club end feels like too much. It anchors the Wrentham Street corner of the Village.

Missing Bar

48 Bromsgrove Street, B5 6NU · Daily

A party and cocktail bar in a building dating to 1897, open seven days and running late into the early hours on Fridays and Saturdays. One of the most consistently busy bars in the Village and a natural mid-night anchor.

Equator Bar

123 Hurst Street, B5 6SE · Tue–Sun

A relaxed cocktail bar on the Hurst Street strip — coffee and a quieter feel by day, a proper bar by night. Check its own site for current hours, which shift with the season.

Eden Bar

116 Sherlock Street, B5 6NB · Wed–Sun

A multi-space bar with a rooftop terrace and a big drag programme, refurbished in 2025. Note the address: it sits on the corner of Sherlock and Gooch Streets, and some older listings still file it under Gooch Street. It runs latest on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sidewalk

125–127 Hurst Street, B5 6SE · Late weekends

A two-level bar and restaurant in a converted 1930s car showroom, listed by Time Out — food and drinks earlier, later opening at weekends.

The Village Inn

Essex House, cnr 18 Kent Street, B5 6RD · Thu–Sat

The Village's cabaret and drag mainstay, now inside the Nightingale complex after its 2025 move. Its own site lists Thursday to Saturday evenings, running to 6am on the Friday. Themed drag and live entertainment run most nights it is open.

The Loft

Kent Street complex, B5 · See venue

A bar and kitchen relocated to Kent Street in 2025 — the more food-led corner of the complex, and a useful anchor if you want to eat before the cabaret and clubs kick off. Post-move hours are best checked on the day.

The Nightingale Club

18 Kent Street, B5 6RD · Thu–Sat

The city's largest and longest-running LGBTQ+ venue, a multi-room club running different music across its floors — pop and house on one, indie and alternative on another, R&B and bashment elsewhere. Brum Outloud lists it Thursday and Saturday; some sources say Thursday to Saturday, so check the night. It is the spine the whole Kent Street end now hangs off.

Glamorous Show Bar

27–35 Hurst Street, B5 4BD · Nightly, to 6am

The late anchor: a drag show bar and club that runs until 6am, with last entry around 4:30am. Its own site lists nightly opening with themed drag nights — where the Village goes when everywhere else is closing.

Boltz Club

Lower Essex Street · See venue

A men's fetish and leather club on Lower Essex Street — a specialist, members-and-dress-code end of the scene rather than a general bar. Check its own site for nights, entry policy and dress code before going.

Where the clubs sit

The late clubs cluster at two ends: the Nightingale complex on Kent Street and Glamorous on Hurst Street. That is the geography of a late night here — start in the pubs and bars, finish at one of those two. Our nightlife guide maps the timings in full.

For a quiet first drink

The Fox or the Fountain Inn — proper pubs, no pressure, the right way to start before the later end gets going.

For cabaret and drag

The Village Inn on Kent Street, with Eden's big-stage shows and Glamorous's themed nights close behind. The show is the whole point here.

For the lesbian scene

The Fox has long been the anchor, though the Village is small enough that the crowd mixes freely across every venue.

For dancing until dawn

The Nightingale for the multi-room club, Glamorous if you want to go all the way to 6am. Both sit at opposite ends of a five-minute walk.

For Pride weekend

All of them, at once — every venue runs flat out across the Pride weekend. Plan loosely and follow the crowd.

Getting between them

Everything is walkable, but sort your way home before the last train — our visiting guide covers stations and late transport.