Bars and Clubs

Belfast has no shortage of LGBTQ+ bars in the city centre, whether you prefer a quiet pint or a late night on the dancefloor. These vibrant venues showcase the best of the NI drag scene, with up-and-coming and established drag performers hosting weekly cabaret and karaoke nights:

• Union Street Bar
• The Maverick
• Boombox Belfast
• Kremlin nightclub

Influenced by the Berlin club scene, Mince Belfast celebrates Queer culture within an immersive and bold disco environment. Their next party is set for 28 December in Lavery’s – keep an eye out on their socials for further information.

For a more low-key evening, The Reporter Bar is a cosy nook to enjoy craft beers, vinyl records and live music. Don’t forget to visit Spaghetti Arms on Union street for lunch or dinner – I personally recommend their dirty chips loaded with cheese, curry, sweet chilli sauce and garlic mayo (trust me, they’re delicious).

Cafes and Entertainment

If bars and clubs aren’t your vibe, Belfast is also home to several independent LGBTQ+ coffee shops. Offering tasty traybakes, gourmet coffee and fun social events, Queer-owned café Happy Out on the Newtownards Road is the perfect spot for a catch up with friends, or for a quiet study session. The café also regularly runs movie and craft nights, bake clubs and social gaming sessions.

If you’re looking for a new book (or even a new hairstyle) alongside your coffee fix, paperxclips on North Street in the city centre is a must-visit! Check out their socials for upcoming book clubs and crochet sessions.

This month, Belfast is proud to host the 18th OUTBURST Queer Arts Festival, which will showcase the best of local Queer art and culture. From disco nights in Hustle Cafe to film screenings in the QFT, the schedule is packed with creative and thought-provoking content.

For your upcoming Christmas celebrations, enjoy themed drag brunches and festive dinners throughout the city during December:

• The Tipsy Bird Extravaganza
• Mean Girls Drag Brunch
• Trudy's Holi-Slay Cabaret
• Christmas Drag Ride and Christmas Cabaret Lunch

Belfast Pride

Every July, Belfast spotlights the LGBTQ+ community with a vibrant and welcoming celebration in its city centre. Queen’s is proud to walk as part of the annual Pride Parade, with both staff and students coming together to enjoy the festivities. Check out our student Ghada’s coverage of Belfast Pride 2024:

In the lead up to the parade and Pride weekend, Queen’s organises several fundraisers and quiz nights – past events have included The Big Gay Quiz in the SU Bar, a Sign and Banner Making Session for the Parade; and a Staff Pride Picnic. Why not get involved next year and meet new friends along the way?

Queen’s Pride Society

Hear from the Chairperson of the Queen’s Pride Society, TJ, on the work of the society and upcoming events!

QUB Pride Society is the LGBTQ+ inclusion society at Queen’s. We are dedicated to creating a safe, fun, space for LGBTQIA+ people, their allies, and those who aren’t quite sure which they are yet to gather, chat and support one another.

We host a variety of social and educational events which are open to staff, students and those not associated with Queen’s. Our events range from coffee mornings, to crafting nights, to games nights, to LGBTQIA+ themed lectures so there is really something for everyone!

This year, we are also dedicated to ensuring that our space is intersectional and open to all. We have elected an international student inclusion officer for the first time. Earlier this year we hosted our first “Around the World Movie Night” which aimed to showcase queer short films from queer creators of colour from across the world.

Similarly, we hold a monthly trans support group which offers a safe space for our trans members. Other highlights of this year’s events have included our Halloween Roller Disco, which boasted 50 attendees and our new collaboration book club with paperxclips (where we’re currently reading Jasmin Throne if anyone wants to join!)

As a society, we run a weekly drop-in event on Wednesdays from 6-8pm which is a chill, friendly space for all our members (and non-members!) to gather. To keep up to date with all our bonus events keep an eye on our Instagram.

Anyone who wants to drop into our events will be more than welcome so please feel free to come along! There is no need to be an official member to attend events. If anyone wants more information on the society you can drop us a message on Instagram or send us an email at pridesociety@qub.ac.uk.

Hear from our student bloggers

Check out previous blogs by our students about their experiences at Queen’s:

• The LGBTQ+ Community at Queen's!
• 10 LGBTQ+ Books You’ll Wish You Read Earlier
• 10 LGBTQ+ Films you Should Watch
• My Coming Out Story
• A Colourful Celebration: Belfast Pride 2023

Find out more

• Support for LGBT+ Students at Queen’s
• Student support at Queen’s
• https://www.rainbow-project.org/
• https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/PRISM/
• https://belfasttrans.org.uk/

Hannah Reilly Staff Writer | Queen's Global Hi, I’m Hannah, a two-time graduate of Queen’s University Belfast and now a current staff member of Queen’s Global! As well as helping with general content management for the main Queen’s website, I also collaborate with current students to create relatable and useful content for the student blog.  I studied BA English and MA English Literary Studies at Queen’s and have since worked in various editorial positions in Belfast, including previous roles as Editorial Assistant and Assistant Commissioning Editor for local publications. In my spare time, I enjoy reading novels (and attending various book clubs), studying Korean at the Queen’s Language Centre and attending Belfast Giants ice hockey games!