The Nightingale Club
Birmingham's oldest gay nightclub, opened in the late 1960s and known locally as 'the Gale'. It spreads over three floors with a stage, several bars, a restaurant and a…
Birmingham's Gay Village
Hurst Street, Kent Street and Lower Essex Street in Southside, beside the Hippodrome and the Chinese Quarter.
Birmingham's Gay Village is in Southside, in the city centre beside the Chinese Quarter and the Hippodrome theatre. It centres on Hurst Street and runs into Kent Street, Lower Essex Street, Gooch Street and Sherlock Street.
It grew from the Nightingale, a members' club that opened in the late 1960s and is still the city's oldest gay nightclub. Today the village has the new Birmingham LGBT centre on Hurst Street, the women-centred Fox and one of the UK's biggest Pride weekends. Everyone is welcome.
At a glance
- Where: Hurst Street, Kent Street, Lower Essex Street, Gooch Street, Sherlock Street, Wrentham Street (B5 6RY, B5 6EW, B5 6SN).
- Status: Backed by council public-realm works and planning protection; no single designation document.
- Getting there: Birmingham New Street (rail); Birmingham Moor Street (rail).
- Pride: Birmingham Pride, usually in May (the spring bank holiday weekend). Next: not yet announced.
- Venues listed: 11, checked in October 2026.
How official is it?
There is no single council designation document for the village, but the council has backed it in practice. In 2009 it approved a £530,000 scheme at the "heart of the city's Gay Village area" for street trees, wider pavements and better lighting on Hurst Street, and in 2012 it part-funded the village's rhino sculpture. In planning, councillors have defended the venues that "were here first", and the council has used the agent of change principle to secure soundproofing when new flats are built next to clubs. The Southside Business Improvement District leads the district's wider strategy, including plans for night-time pedestrianisation of Hurst Street.
What has actually been done
- May 2009: approved a £530,000 environmental scheme for Hurst Street and parts of Kent Street, with street trees, wider pavements for outdoor seating and brighter lighting.
- 2012: gave a £10,000 grant towards the rhinoceros sculpture on Wynner House, which replaced the painted-over 'Shout for Village Pride' mural.
- Planning: in 2021 a councillor argued that the village's late-night venues 'were here first' when a 456-flat scheme next to the Nightingale and The Fox came to committee; the council had already used the 'agent of change' principle on a nearby Kent Street development to secure noise mitigation, and officers said the developers had agreed to soundproofing at the Nightingale.
- Southside Business Improvement District's 2023 strategy proposes reshaping Hurst Street for pedestrians, cyclists and disabled people, night-time pedestrianisation to reduce vehicle-based anti-social behaviour, a festivals committee and a Cultural Action Zone.
Key dates
- May 2009The council approves a £530,000 environmental scheme for Hurst Street and Kent Street.
- 2012A council-funded rhino sculpture goes up on Wynner House.
- December 2021Planning committee defers a 456-flat scheme next to the Nightingale and The Fox to allow more work on noise mitigation.
- February 2023Southside BID publishes its strategy for the district.
- January 2026Birmingham LGBT opens its new purpose-built centre at 151 Hurst Street.
Venues in the Gay Village
The Village Inn
One of the village's longest-running cabaret pubs, now inside the Nightingale building on the corner of Kent Street and Lower Essex Street, with live cabaret through the…
Equator
A stylish lounge and restaurant bar that opened in 2002 in a former solarium, good for after-work drinks or a Saturday night. It hosts a trans social group on the first…
Missing
A party bar in a Victorian building from 1897, formerly the Australian Bar, and the only building that survived when land was cleared for the Arcadian centre. Known for…
The Fox
The village's women-centred bar, marketed to lesbian and bisexual women and their friends but open to everyone. Known for live music, a beer garden and summer barbecues.
The Fountain Inn
A bar with rooms just off Hurst Street, opened as the Fountain in 1991 and long known as a leather bar.
Glamorous Bar
A late-night venue next to the Hippodrome at the top of Hurst Street.
Eden
A village favourite that closed in 2020 and reopened in 2025 on the corner of Gooch Street and Sherlock Street.
Sidewalk
A bar and restaurant over a basement and ground floor, on the site of the former Angel.
Medusa Lodge
An adult nightclub and lounge bar with a 1920s-style purple interior and burlesque, formerly Route 2.
The Loft
A bar near Chinatown and the Gay Village, often used as the starting point for a night out. Some listings have reported it as temporarily closed, so check before you…
The streets
The village is in Southside, in Birmingham city centre beside the Chinese Quarter, centred on Hurst Street and running into Kent Street, Gooch Street and Sherlock Street. The Smallbrook Queensway section of the inner ring road forms its edge, and the Hippodrome theatre and Arcadian centre are next door.
Hurst Street
The heart of the village: Glamorous Bar, Equator, Sidewalk, Medusa Lodge and the new Birmingham LGBT centre, with the Hippodrome at the top. Street trees, wider pavements and new lighting came with the council's 2009 scheme.
Kent Street and Lower Essex Street
The Nightingale Club, the Village Inn (inside the Nightingale building) and The Fox. Kent Street Baths stood here until 2009.
Gooch Street and Sherlock Street
Eden, reopened in 2025.
Wrentham Street
The Fountain Inn, a bar with rooms.
Getting there
- Nearest station: Birmingham New Street (rail)
- Nearest station: Birmingham Moor Street (rail)
- Many city bus routes run along the edge of Southside; during Pride the parade route closes roads around Hurst Street and Hippodrome Square.
- Parking: City-centre and Southside car parks are close by; Hurst Street is a busy pedestrian street at night.
More about the Gay Village
Walk the Gay VillageA live, venue-by-venue walking guide on your phone.HistoryFrom the earliest venues to today, and the places we have lost.Pride and what's onBirmingham Pride, regular nights and resident drag stars.Support and safetyHealth, helplines, hate-crime reporting and community groups.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Birmingham Gay Village (2026)
- Wikipedia: Southside, Birmingham
- Scene: Southside unveils strategy to support its future as a diverse cultural centre (7 February 2023)
- Express & Star: late-night venues were here first, says councillor (9 December 2021)
Other rainbow quarters
Blackpool: Rainbow QuarterOur home: the council-backed Be You quarter around Lord Street, Queen Street, Dickson Road, Springfield Road and Banks Street.Manchester: Gay VillageCanal Street, Richmond Street, Bloom Street and Sackville Street, beside the Rochdale Canal.Liverpool: Pride QuarterStanley Street, Victoria Street, Cumberland Street and Eberle Street, home of the UK's first rainbow street signs.Bristol: Old MarketOld Market Street and West Street by Cabot Circus, plus The Strip on Frogmore Street.Nottingham: Rainbow QuarterHockley's Broad Street, Carlton Street and Heathcote Street, officially opened as the Rainbow Quarter in June 2026.Leeds: Freedom QuarterLower Briggate, Call Lane and The Calls, under the rainbow Freedom Bridge, next to Leeds station.Newcastle: Pink TriangleTimes Square, Scotswood Road and Westmorland Road, between Central Station and the Arena.Every quarterAll the UK's rainbow quarters and gay villages.