These are the top LGBT activities taken on in London in February 2023.
On your calendars, note: In the UK, February is LGBTQ+ History Month. If you can't wait until the summer for the big Pride parades and festivals, you'll find more than enough going on to fill your calendar during this yearly celebration of LGBT life and legacy over the ages. The variety of activities in London includes anything from family-friendly tales about gay mariners and floral sketching workshops to seductive cabaret performances, lip-sync competitions, and crazy performances that will alter the way you view the theater. Here are some ideas for LGBTQ+ History Month celebrations in London, as well as a look at an insider's guide to LGBTQ+ living there for more year-round inspiration.
Tate Modern and Tate Britain provide LGBTQIA+ tours.
The only challenge may be locating them in these vast, multi-story galleries because the Tate collection includes works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Claude Cahun, Nan Goldin, Duncan Grant, and Sunil Gupta, among others. These tours introduce visitors to some of the most influential LGBT artists and their topics while giving an overview of just a few of the amazing paintings housed at the Tate Modern and Tate Britain.
Where: Bankside, Tate Modern, London SE1 9TG. Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, Tate Britain
When: Various dates in February at 3:30 p.m.
Websites include tate.org.uk and tate.org.uk
Cost: free
Tour of LGBTQ+ history
Follow your guide around downtown London's streets to learn how and why the city came to be known as the epicenter of LGBTQ+ culture. This is an investigation of London's lively past seen through a queer lens, including everything from the impact of the Roman conquistadors in Britain to the development of Soho's current nightlife. Expect to learn about topics including 18th-century molly houses, terrorist attacks, HIV/AIDS activism, and Pride marches, among many more. You'll leave the trip in amazement at the LGBT people who have lived there for generations as well as the history that can be found in just a few of these neighborhoods.
Where: London's Charing Cross and Strand, The Clermont Hotel WC2N 5HX
When: 11:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in February.
Londonwithalocal.com is the website.
Cost: free (tipping encouraged)
Queer Britain
Queer Britain, the first LGBTQ+ museum in the UK, is small yet formidable in its impact. Opening in the spring of 2022, it will be a groundbreaking collection of LGBT life in the UK spanning more than a century. That year, it will also be named Best Small Museum Project at the Museums Association Awards. The co-founder of the LGBTQ+ Muslim charity Imaan, Faizan Faiz, wore a rainbow hijab to speak at Pride, and drag queen Divine wore a bright orange minidress. There are also protest placards created by marchers at Trans Pride and the door to the cell where Oscar Wilde was imprisoned for gross indecency.
Where: 2 Granary Square, N1C 4BH, London
When: All of February
Internet address: queerbritain.org.uk
Cost: free
Session of Queer Botanical Drawing
Create your own still life with Chelsea Physic Garden's plants and flowers while learning about its queer associations and history. Gay Botany, an organization that examines and promotes the links between the queer community and nature, is hosting several LGBTQ+-themed events at the charming small 17th-century medical garden on the banks of the Thames. You may attend writing workshops, panel discussions, and this Edward Luke Thrush-taught session on floral life painting all during February.
Location: 66 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS
When: February 19 at 1:00 p.m.
URL: chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk
Price: £15
How to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month in Londonhttps://t.co/jEerlQ41rA
— Trans Media Watch (@TransMediaWatch) February 19, 2022
Vogue Fem workshop
You may be familiar with vogueing, the lavish dance movement that began in the 1980s LGBT ballrooms of Harlem, if you've watched the cult film Paris is Burning, BBC's Pose, or even the iconic Madonna music video. It was a rebellious, highly stylized form of movement created by Black and POC LGBTQ+ persons that have become a cultural touchstone. Enroll in a Vogue Fem lesson at Pineapple Dance Studio if you want to master the duck walk, catwalk, and dip. The courses are a terrific introduction to the art form and will have you on the dance floor in no time. They are held twice a week and are taught by Kendall Miyake-Mugler, the European Mother of the Legendary House of Miyake-Mugler, or Karteer Mugler, the Father of the Haus of Telfar.
Where: London, 7 Langley St. WC2H 9JA
When: Throughout February on various occasions.
url: pineapple.uk.com
Price: £12
Lino and Wino
Wino & Lino is a fun and easy method to make your print regardless of your level of artistic ability or whether your most recent printing experience was with potatoes in elementary school. It's an examination of the queer power that particular items possess (such as Doc Marten boots and carabiners), led by artist River Manning, and a tutorial on how to depict them in lino cutting. Although there are a limited number of spots available, the event lasts one month, so if you don't acquire a ticket for the February session, schedule some time for your creativity in March.
Where: 118 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 6DG, home of Glass House London
When: February 15 at 7:00 p.m.
url: outsavvy.com
Price: £25
Out at Sea
The National Maritime Museum is offering a one-day festival of family-friendly performances and activities where you may embark on a voyage through gay history. Kids (and you) will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the lives and work of queer seafarers through storytelling sessions, museum tours, and an interactive treasure hunt, while craft workshops include learning how to crochet or creating a Pride-themed boat to add to the museum's collection.
Where: Romney Road, National Maritime Museum, London SE10 9NF
When: 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 18,
URL: rmg.co.uk
Cost: free
Sailing Out
For parents who are at a loss for what to do with their kids during half term, the National Maritime Museum is also nearby. Activities and seminars for kids of all ages are included in Sailing Out, a week-long celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month. Make a rainbow fish or squid ornament to take home, learn about the stories of LGBT people at sea, create a tail of dazzling colors and sparkles for a merperson, and start planning your Pride festivities by creating your Pride flag. All activities are free, and they should exhaust kids when paired with a stroll around the museum or a vigorous walk in the nearby Greenwich Park.
Where: Romney Road, National Maritime Museum, London SE10 9NF
When: Various days from February 12 through February 19.
URL: rmg.co.uk
Cost: free
The Underground's Sound
At the Royal Court Theatre, the biggest names in London's underground nightlife take the stage for a night out that is the farthest thing from a somber play you can imagine. There is an explosion of color, movement, and music (including an impressive rendition of the Cheeky Girls). Legendary performers Ms. Sharon Le Grand, CHIYO, Wet Mess, Sue Gives a F*ck, Lilly SnatchDragon, Tammy Reynolds as Midgitte Bardot, Mwice Kavindele as Sadie Sinner The Songbird, and Rhys Hollis as Rhys' Pieces bring the production, which was written by Travis Alabanza, to life. It is a thought-provoking piece that puts the tenacity, resiliency, and skill of the gay community front and center while gliding smoothly between high camp, seductive cabaret, and gut-wrenching musings on discrimination and persecution.
Where: Sloane Square, 50-51, Royal Court Theatre, London, SW1W 8AS
When: Throughout February on various occasions.
RoyalcourtTheatre.com is the website.
Price: Starting at £12
The bitter peach
During London's eight-week-long Vault Festival, there are many LGBTQ+ performances to see, but one of the best is Bitten Peach's alluring display of gay Asian talent. You may be familiar with the organization if you've seen Sound of the Underground because Lilly SnatchDragon, one of the actors in the play, founded it. It is the first Pan-Asian LGBTQ cabaret collective in the UK, and it celebrates drag and burlesque in a dynamic way that is both amusing and creative.
Where: Leake Street, London, SE1 7NN, The Flair Ground, The Vaults
When: 8:00 pm on February 25, 25, and 26.
url: vaultfestival.com
Price: Starting at £17
Brown Suga
What more could you want in life than education and a good time? Brown Suga's most recent night out continued their celebration of the QTIPOC, queer women, non-binary, and trans community at the LGBT bar and event location Common Counter in Brick Lane. Enjoy a panel discussion on Queer Black and POC History to start the evening off before letting loose for a night of DJs, raves, and performances. You may even take the stage yourself if you're feeling self-assured and lip-synch along to some R&B oldies. A poignant reminder to value our LGBTQ+ venues while we still have them is that Common Counter will regrettably close at the end of February, although the adjacent gay bookshop Common Press will stay open.
Where: 118 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 7EE, Common Counter
When: 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 18.
URL: moonlightexperiences.com
Price: Starting at £10.
Live to Tell
Fans of Madonna don't need to wait until the Celebrations World Tour to recognize the artist's ongoing appeal; all they need to do is head over to Clapham, where writer and performer Brian Mullin is celebrating the legendary career of the Queen of Pop. Living to Tell: (A Suggestion For) The Madonna Jukebox Musical is a campy, emotive examination of living with HIV, overcoming stigma, and the power of reinvention. It is not a musical and it is just about Madonna.
Where: 1 Clapham Common Northside, London SW4 0QW, Omnibus Theatre
When: Various dates between February 7 and February 18.
Internet address: omnibus-clapham.org
Price: Starting at £13