Edinburgh's LGBTQ+ Scene for a Date: the Pink Triangle, Pride, Groups and NightBus Home
Sources checked 14 October 2026 · 6 min read
Edinburgh's LGBTQ+ bars cluster in the Pink Triangle, around Picardy Place, Broughton Street and the top of Leith Walk. CC Blooms, Planet, The Street and the Regent Bar all publish their hours. Pride Edinburgh's 2026 march was on 20 June; no exact 2027 date was published on the check date. LGBT Health and Wellbeing runs free groups, and Lothian's NightBus runs from midnight to 4.30am.
The short version
- VisitBritain calls the Pink Triangle the place for low-key pubs, lively clubs and daytime hangouts, and says Edinburgh has the largest gay scene in Scotland.
- CC Blooms, at 23-24 Greenside Place next to the Edinburgh Playhouse, says it has been open since 1994 and opens seven nights a week until 3am.
- The Street, at 2b Picardy Place at the top of Broughton Street, is a bar, eatery and nightclub that opens from midday, or 12.30pm on Sundays.
- The Regent Bar, at 2 Montrose Terrace, is a real ale pub open daily 4pm to midnight; it takes table bookings for up to eight people Monday to Thursday only.
- Pride Edinburgh describes itself as the longest-running free celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Scotland. Its 2026 march was on Saturday 20 June.
- LGBT Health and Wellbeing's Edinburgh hub is at 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW, and it runs a free LGBTQ+ helpline on 0800 464 7000.
- A Lothian NightBus single costs £3.50, and a City LATE ticket at £5.50 covers buses after 6pm plus the night bus home.
The Pink Triangle
VisitBritain describes Edinburgh as home to the largest gay scene in Scotland and calls the Pink Triangle the place to go for low-key pubs, lively clubs and daytime hangouts, with everything from drag cabaret to craft ale. The venues are close together around Picardy Place, the top of Broughton Street and Greenside Place by the Edinburgh Playhouse.
That makes it easy to plan a first date with an exit built in: meet for a coffee or early drink in a quieter place, and move on to somewhere livelier only if you both want to. Several venues serve food during the day, which helps if you would rather the date did not revolve around alcohol.
Bars and cafés for a first meeting
The Street, at 2b Picardy Place, EH1 3JT, at the top of Broughton Street, describes itself as a bar, eatery and nightclub. Its current hours are 12pm to 1am Monday to Thursday, 12pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday, and 12.30pm to 1am on Sunday, with extended hours in August and December. VisitBritain describes it as an independent LGBTQIA+ bar and bistro that serves coffee and street food by day, with outdoor and indoor seating you can reserve and a retro photo booth. An afternoon coffee here is about as low-pressure as a first date gets.
The Regent Bar, at 2 Montrose Terrace, EH7 5DL, calls itself Edinburgh's LGBT+ and straight-friendly real ale pub, with comfy sofas, bar snacks and table-top games you can borrow. It is open daily from 4pm to midnight. It takes table bookings for up to eight people from Monday to Thursday, but not on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. It hosts local artists' exhibitions, welcomes LGBT+ groups, and hosts Bear Scots on the second Saturday of every month from 9pm. Its site says it was listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2022.
A board game over a pint at the Regent is a good format for a quieter date: it gives you something to do with your hands and something to talk about.
The StreetBar, eatery and nightclub
2b Picardy Place, EH1 3JT
Mon-Thu 12pm-1am; Fri-Sat 12pm-3am; Sun 12.30pm-1am.
The Regent BarReal ale pub
2 Montrose Terrace, EH7 5DL
Open daily 4pm to midnight; table bookings Monday to Thursday only.
Later nights: CC Blooms and Planet
CC Blooms, at 23-24 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA, next to the Edinburgh Playhouse, says it has been open since 1994 and calls itself the city's original gay club. It opens seven nights a week until 3am and serves brunch and pre-theatre food. It runs weekly drag shows most weekends and a Sunday drag cabaret, Disgraceful, from 8pm. Entry to the upstairs bar and restaurant is free; a small cover charge may apply in the basement club for ticketed events. Children over five are welcome with an adult until 8pm, after which the venue is 18+ only.
Planet describes itself as Edinburgh's longest-running gay bar, with free entry. From 21 September 2026 its hours are 3pm to 3am on Friday and Saturday, 3pm to 1am on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and closed on Monday. Fridays are Showtime, with a free drag show at 10.30pm after a DJ from 9pm. Tuesdays have party games and sing-alongs from 9pm, and Wednesdays feature special guests from 9pm. Its site does not give a street address, so use its map link before you go.
Pride Edinburgh
Pride Edinburgh says it is the longest-running free celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in Scotland and calls itself the biggest Pride in Scotland. Its official site gives its address as 60a Broughton Street, EH1 3SA, in the heart of the Pink Triangle. The 2026 event, with a march and a main stage, took place on Saturday 20 June 2026.
On 14 October 2026 the official site still showed the 2026 date and had not published a date for 2027. VisitBritain's guide lists Pride Edinburgh under June 2027 but does not give a day, so treat any specific date you see elsewhere as an estimate until Pride Edinburgh confirms it. VisitBritain describes the event as a march through the city with a health and community fair and live music.
Pride day itself is busy and loud, which can make conversation hard. For a first date, the quieter days around it, or a regular week night in the Pink Triangle, may suit you better.
Pride EdinburghPride festival
60a Broughton Street, EH1 3SA
2026 march held Saturday 20 June; 2027 date not yet published.
Community groups and support
LGBT Health and Wellbeing is a queer-led charity registered in Scotland (SC034216) that runs free LGBTQ+ meetups and groups across the country. Its Edinburgh base is the Duncan Place Hub, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW, telephone 0131 564 3970. Its events listing includes groups for people aged 50 and over, such as the monthly online Coffee Posse, and trans and non-binary drop-in sexual health clinics in Edinburgh for people aged 16 and over.
Its LGBT Helpline Scotland offers emotional support and information on 0800 464 7000, by live chat or by email. It is open Tuesday to Thursday, 12pm to 9pm, and Sunday, 1pm to 6pm, and all ways of contacting it are free in the UK. Volunteers can also explain options such as third-party hate crime reporting.
If you would rather meet people through a shared interest than in a bar, the charity's listings are a good place to start, and the Regent Bar says it welcomes LGBT+ groups too.
LGBT Health and WellbeingCharity
Duncan Place Hub, 4 Duncan Place, EH6 8HW
Free groups and LGBT Helpline Scotland on 0800 464 7000.
Getting home late: Lothian NightBus
Edinburgh has a proper night bus network. Lothian says its NightBus services run from midnight until 4.30am across Edinburgh and the Lothians. City routes include the N1 to Clerwood, N3 from Haymarket to Gorebridge, N11 to Hyvots Bank, N14 from Muirhouse to Surgeons' Hall, N16 from Silverknowes to Torphin, N25 to Heriot-Watt University, N26 from Haymarket to Seton Sands, N30 to Musselburgh, N31 to Bonnyrigg, N37 to Penicuik and N44 to Balerno. East Coast Buses and Lothian Country run further routes to Dunbar, North Berwick and Bathgate.
A Lothian NightBus single costs £3.50 for an adult. A City LATE ticket, at £5.50, gives unlimited journeys on Lothian day services after 6pm and on the following morning's NightBus until 4.30am, so if you are out for the evening it can be cheaper to buy one at the start. Lothian also offers TapTapCap, which caps contactless fares daily and weekly.
Lothian says more than 800,000 journeys were made on its NightBus network in 2024, and that 34 night buses are out on a weekend night. Check the timetable for your route before you head out, as most routes are not every few minutes.
Before you go
- Planet is closed on Mondays under its hours from 21 September 2026.
- The Regent Bar does not take bookings on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays.
- CC Blooms is 18+ only after 8pm.
- Buy a City LATE ticket at £5.50 if you will take a bus in the evening and the NightBus home.
- Check Pride Edinburgh's own site for the 2027 date before you plan around it.
Questions people ask
- Where is Edinburgh's gay area?
- The Pink Triangle, around Picardy Place, the top of Broughton Street, Greenside Place and the top of Leith Walk. Venues include CC Blooms, The Street and Planet, with the Regent Bar a short walk away on Montrose Terrace.
- When is Pride Edinburgh 2027?
- Pride Edinburgh had not published a 2027 date on 14 October 2026. The 2026 march was on Saturday 20 June. VisitBritain lists the event under June 2027 without a specific day.
- Are there night buses in Edinburgh?
- Yes. Lothian's NightBus runs from midnight to 4.30am across Edinburgh and the Lothians. A single costs £3.50, and a City LATE ticket at £5.50 covers buses after 6pm and the night bus home.
- Are there LGBTQ+ groups in Edinburgh that aren't in bars?
- Yes. LGBT Health and Wellbeing runs free groups and meetups from its Duncan Place Hub, including groups for people aged 50 and over, and a free helpline on 0800 464 7000.
Sources and when we checked them (14 October 2026)
Every fact above comes from the pages below, read on the date shown (where a place's own site could not be read, the note says which reference source was used instead). Opening times, prices and programmes change, so confirm with the place before you travel. We change the date only when we have re-checked the sources. How we write and check.
- VisitBritain: LGBTQIA+ guide to Edinburgh — Official national tourism site: Pink Triangle, venues and Pride listing
- CC Blooms — Official site: address, history since 1994, hours, entry and age policy
- Planet — Official site: opening hours from 21 September and weekly nights
- The Street — Official site: address and current hours
- The Regent Bar — Official site: address, hours, bookings and community nights
- Pride Edinburgh — Official site: 2026 date, address and description
- LGBT Health and Wellbeing: contact us — Official site: Edinburgh hub address and phone
- LGBT Health and Wellbeing — Official site: charity status and Edinburgh events listing
- LGBT Helpline Scotland — Official site: helpline contact details and hours
- Lothian Buses: NightBus — Official operator site: routes, hours and fares
- Lothian Buses: 100 years of NightBus — Official operator site: passenger numbers and network size
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