London Dreams

Old Compton Street has a rich layer of history attached to it. Located at the heart of Soho, London, this street is termed the gayest street of London. It is host to three of the most popular queer bars of London- GAY, KU, and Village. This is also the street where Arthur Rimbaud supposedly spent hours altogether with his lover Verlaine. If this mark of ‘decadence ‘ intrigues you- walk straight ahead and you reach Comptons, Green Carnation and several other swanky pubs which play host to the thriving Queer community of London.

The London gay district is strictly divided into two major areas- Soho and Vauxhall. Soho is obviously swankier and pulls in a greater crowd thanks to its West End location. Gay tourism in London is pretty existent and thriving- The Pink Walk takes one around the major gay areas of London and some of the historical sites of gay activism and gay figures. For the gay tourist coming to London- the place will never cease to disappoint. Heaven on Villiers Street near Charing Cross is one of the largest and most popular gay clubs. With four large dance floors it accommodates around a thousand revelers each night as it belts out classics like Gloria Gaynor to Lady Gaga.

The South Asian gay populace is quite active in London too- They run two very active night clubs- Club Kali and Urban Desi which take place once a month and it brings South Asians from all part of the city and country. (In fact the last time I went to Kali, I met someone who had come all the way from Manchester) The Naz project London and ELOP are among the several NGOs which are working towards community building and provide help for the queer groups in the city and are always ready to offer help to the odd tourist who wants more information on gay life in London.

There are many places where one can stay during their time here. Russell Square, Soho and Kings Cross have many hotels which are mid range and because of their central location, travelling becomes really easy. Many facebook groups like the LGBT student network-London and twitter offer regular updates on events but if you are simply looking to cruise and maybe have nice drink with a few mates just walk into Soho and you will be in a different world!