Meeting LGBTQ+ People in London Offline: Choirs, Dinners, Speed Dating and Groups

Why repetition beats a one-off night out

Meeting people offline works best when you see the same faces more than once. A weekly rehearsal or monthly dinner turns a stranger into someone you recognise, then someone you chat to, without either of you having to decide that it's a date. When London's Knockout LGBTQ+ boxing club surveyed its members, PinkNews reported in 2023 that 82% said they had joined to meet other queer people.

This guide gathers options that Kindrd's other guides don't already cover in detail, and points to those that do. Everything below comes from organisers' own pages or listings read on 14 October 2026. Small groups change days and venues often, so check the listing in the week you plan to go.

Sing: London's LGBTQ+ choirs

A 2025 roundup by Alternative Classical lists a dozen LGBTQ+ choirs in London. The Pink Singers (founded 1983) and the London Gay Men's Chorus both hold auditions twice a year; both are covered in Kindrd's sports clubs and social groups guide. The Fourth Choir, founded in 2013, is for advanced singers, rehearses on Thursdays from 7pm to 9.30pm in Lambeth, and asks people to apply for an audition.

If you'd rather not audition, several choirs say they are open. Lungs Choir, started in January 2025, rehearses weekly from 7pm to 9pm at the 151 Centre in Haggerston and needs no music-reading. F*Choir is open to all genders and sings songs about gender, sexuality, freedom and rage; it gives core places to people who come to its open sessions. The London Trans Choir is open to trans singers and allies. Rebelle Voices, for LGBTQ+ women, trans and non-binary people and allies, offers two free taster sessions. SE London Queer Choir, founded in 2022, takes sign-ups through a waiting list.

Quavors, a mixed-voice queer choir, rehearses on alternate Wednesdays in Earl's Court, and the Diversity Choir is an LGBT+ chamber choir that arranges auditions through its membership secretary. The roundup does not give every choir's fees or venue, and it dates from 2025, so details may have changed; contact them before your first visit.

• Lungs ChoirChoir

  Haggerston

  Weekly, 7–9pm, at the 151 Centre; no audition or music-reading.

• The Fourth ChoirChoir

  Lambeth

  Advanced LGBT+ choir; Thursdays 7–9.30pm; audition by application.

Play: the London Gay Symphony Orchestra

If you play an instrument, the London Gay Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1996 by a group of friends led by its first conductor, Robin Gordon-Powell. It says it has more than 100 active members and gives five concerts a year. It aims to play to a high standard while still making room for players of all abilities.

Its about page did not give rehearsal times, fees or audition rules, so use the orchestra's Join us and Get in touch pages to ask what standard it expects for your instrument. An orchestra gives you a fixed group of people, regular rehearsals and a concert to work towards.

• London Gay Symphony OrchestraOrchestra

  London

  Founded 1996; 100+ members; five concerts a year.

Eat: a monthly LGBTQ+ dinner club

The London LGBTQ+ Dinner Club, organised on Meetup, describes itself as a group for LGBTQ+ people of any sexuality, gender identity or gender expression. It was founded by Ian Newman, who had run a gay men's dinner club for eight years. Members meet once a month for drinks, then go on to that month's restaurant; occasionally it holds a pub or bar social instead. The group listed 2,077 members on the check date.

It has one firm rule: the bill is split evenly between everyone who comes, and the organiser asks anyone who doesn't like that not to sign up. The next listed dinner was at Boulevard Brasserie on Wellington Street in Covent Garden, on Friday 23 October at 7.30pm, with an £11 deposit (£10 towards the meal), a set menu and 16 places, all taken when we checked. The organiser says extra places can sometimes be arranged if you message.

• London LGBTQ+ Dinner ClubSocial group

  Central London

  Monthly restaurant dinner; bill split evenly; small capped numbers.

Speed dating with a published format

Gareth Lewis Events runs speed dating for gay, bi and trans men and all men who have sex with men at The London Art Bar, 300–302 High Holborn, near Holborn station. The next listed night is Saturday 17 October 2026: doors open at 5pm, rotations start at 5.20pm, and the event runs to 7pm. Tickets start at £10 and it is 18+. The room is split into smaller groups for structured rotations, you get a card to track who you've met, and open mingling follows.

Sappho Events runs speed dating for LGBTQ+ women, trans and non-binary people aged 18 and over, and says most attendees are in their late 20s to early 40s. Its OutSavvy listing gives Corner New Cross, 117 New Cross Road, SE14, as the venue: mingling from 7.30pm, speed dating from 8pm to 9.30pm, and nobody admitted after 8.10pm. Chats last five minutes with ice-breaker prompts, and about ten people come on average. Afterwards you fill in a form marking each person as a date or a friend, and mutual matches are emailed. Tickets are £20, or £15 concession, with no refunds; the listing showed them off sale with dates going back to December 2025, so prices and format may have changed; check for the next session.

The venue has two steps from the street, with a gravel-covered ramp as an alternative. Non-alcoholic drinks are available at the bar.

• The London Art BarBar (speed dating venue)

  Holborn

  Gay, bi and trans men's speed dating, 17 October 2026, from £10.

• Sappho Events speed datingSpeed dating

  New Cross

  LGBTQ+ women, trans and non-binary people; £20 or £15; date-or-friend matching.

Community groups at the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre at 60–62 Hopton Street, Bankside, hosts groups as well as one-off events. Its meetups listing showed Dope Black Queers: The Forum, a town-hall-style meeting for Black LGBTQIA+ people, on Sundays 8 November and 13 December 2026, 4.30pm to 7.30pm. GIN, a networking group for LGBTQ+ people of Indian and South Asian origin and their friends, was listed for Sunday 13 December, 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

NA Queer to Stay, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, runs every Wednesday from 7pm to 8pm with no need to register, and at least one listing says the centre closes to other visitors during it for privacy. The centre says you need a ticket for its events unless the listing says otherwise. Its main events page also listed a Queer Minds Movement pilates-inspired session on Monday 26 October, 6pm to 8pm.

• London LGBTQ+ Community CentreCommunity centre

  Bankside

  Forums, meetups and recovery meetings; ticket needed unless stated.

Other routes covered in Kindrd guides

Volunteering is one of the steadiest ways to meet people: Kindrd's volunteering guide covers akt, London Friend, Terrence Higgins Trust, Mosaic and Pride in London. Book groups, including the Lesbian Discussion Group at Gay's The Word and the Queer Book Club at the community centre, are in the book clubs guide. Running, swimming, football, rugby and walking groups are in the sports clubs guide, and LGBTQ+ boxing is in the queer-friendly fitness guide.

For dancing, the dance classes guide covers Pink Jukebox's ballroom and Latin afternoons and Queer Tango London. Faith communities, from MCC North London to Imaan, have their own guide. Pick one thing that repeats and go three times before deciding whether it suits you.

Before you go

• Message a choir before your first visit: several have waiting lists or taster arrangements.
• The LGBTQ+ Dinner Club splits the bill evenly, whatever you order.
• Sappho Events does not admit latecomers after 8.10pm and gives no refunds.
• Book tickets for London LGBTQ+ Community Centre events unless the listing says otherwise.
• Go to anything new at least three times before you judge it.

Questions people ask

Are there LGBTQ+ choirs in London that don't audition?

Yes. According to a 2025 roundup, Lungs Choir, F*Choir, the London Trans Choir and Rebelle Voices do not hold auditions. Rebelle Voices offers two free tasters, and F*Choir gives core places to people who attend its open sessions.

Is there queer speed dating in London?

Yes. Gareth Lewis Events runs nights for gay, bi and trans men at The London Art Bar from £10, and Sappho Events runs sessions for LGBTQ+ women, trans and non-binary people at £20, or £15 concession.

How does the London LGBTQ+ Dinner Club work?

Members meet monthly for pre-dinner drinks and then a restaurant meal. A small deposit holds your place, places are capped, and the bill is split evenly between everyone who comes.

What if I just want friends, not dates?

Most of the options here are social first. Sappho Events' follow-up form lets you mark each person as a date or a friend, and choirs, the orchestra and community centre groups are not dating events.