Best Gay Bars & Bathhouses In Nottingham
Nottingham has its own LGBTQ+ scene, compact but genuinely lived-in, centered in the city's own neighbourhoods rather than a distant metro. The core venues — bars, a dedicated gay sauna, and roving club nights — are all within Nottingham city limits, and residents rarely need to travel far. What the scene lacks in scale compared to Manchester or Birmingham it compensates for with a tight-knit community feel and a Pride culture that permeates the calendar year-round.
The Nottingham LGBTQ+ Scene
Nottingham has a solid LGBTQ+ community centered around Broad Street, the city's official queer area, complete with rainbow crossings and gay bars. The Hockley neighbourhood is also considered a key LGBTQ+ area, known for its trendy bars, clubs, and independent shops, with venues hosting regular drag shows and cabaret performances. The two main anchor streets — Broad Street and the surrounding Hockley grid — sit within easy walking distance of each other, meaning a full night out rarely requires a taxi between venues. While Nottingham's gay scene doesn't rival London or Manchester in size, the city's two universities sustain a lively, youthful LGBTQ+ crowd and feed into the annual Pride march each July.
Top Gay Bars & Bathhouses for Nottingham Locals
The New Foresters
Type: Gay bar / Late-night LGBTQ+ venue
Location: 18 St Ann's Street, Nottingham, NG1 3LX
Features: Nottingham's LGBTQ+ safe space since 1938, with regular live entertainment including drag queens, cabaret, DJs, late-night closing, and beer gardens with a sheltered smoking area. It is Nottingham's oldest and only late-night LGBTQ+ venue. During Pride, the venue expands to two dancefloors and three bars with live entertainment.
Website: https://thenewforesters.co.uk
The Lord Roberts
Type: Gay-managed mixed bar
Location: 24 Broad Street, Nottingham
Features: Not officially a gay bar, but The Lord Roberts attracts Nottingham's queer crowd; it is located in Hockley, considered the LGBTQ+ neighbourhood of Nottingham city centre, and is a gay-managed bar that sponsors the local LGBTQ+ football team, the Nottingham Lions. The venue hosts quizzes and pop-up events, including a sexual health clinic, and is decorated in 1920s Art Deco style.
The Hole in the Wall
Type: LGBTQ+-friendly pub
Location: 63 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham, NG1 4EZ
Features: While no longer gay-run and managed, Hole in the Wall remains a welcoming, LGBTQ+-friendly pub attracting a lively university crowd; just a short walk from the city centre, it has a pool table, dartboard, and an outdoor seating area, with well-priced drinks and regular events throughout the week. The bar has historical links to the community going back to 1984, began hosting lesbian pool nights in 2015, and since 2022 has been managed by two gay men who re-established its LGBTQ+ identity.
GLADRAGS (Club Night)
Type: LGBTQ+ club night / drag and dance event
Location: Various venues including Rough Trade and Popworld, Nottingham city centre
Features: GLADRAGS is an LGBTQ+ club night in Nottingham held at Rough Trade record shop and other venues — a celebration of drag, DJs, and dancing, marked by themed nights that invite attendees to dress up and express themselves. Hosted by drag legends Nana Arthole and Marilyn Sane, GLADRAGS is a space for the community to come together to dance and see a variety of performers.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/GladragsNotts/
The Pride Shop & Café (OurSpace)
Type: LGBTQ+-run community café and retail space
Location: 65 Maid Marian Way, Nottingham, NG1 6AJ
Features: Nottingham's oldest LGBT+ bar listing also includes this LGBTQ+-run coffee and cake shop alongside a retail space — a daytime hub for the community distinct from the evening bar scene.
Website: https://www.theprideshop.co.uk/ourspace/
CS2 Sauna Nottingham
Type: Gay sauna / bathhouse
Location: 1 Lennox Street, Nottingham, NG1 1ER
Features: CS2 is the largest sauna complex for gay and bi-curious men in Nottingham and the East Midlands.