Queer Film Nights and Screenings in London: The Arzner, Pink Palace, Bar Trash and More

Why a regular film night beats a festival for a date

A festival compresses everything into a fortnight, with sell-outs and long queues. A regular film night is easier: you can book a week ahead, the room is smaller, and the people around you tend to be regulars who came for the same reason you did. For a first or second date, that means a shared experience without the pressure of a big event, and usually a bar on site for the conversation afterwards.

BFI Flare, the Rio's place in queer cinema history, and general repertory cinemas such as the Prince Charles and the Phoenix are covered in our guide to LGBTQ+ film and cinema in London. This guide focuses on the recurring nights and community screenings that run through the rest of the year, with what each venue publishes about prices, times and rules. Programmes change weekly, so the films named below are examples from listings read on 14 October 2026.

The Arzner: a cinema built for this

The Arzner, at 10 Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN, calls itself London's LGBTQ+ cinema and bar. Wikipedia says it was founded in 2025 by Simon Burke and Piers Greenlees, occupies the former Kino Bermondsey, and is named after Dorothy Arzner, a lesbian director who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1940s. Its FAQ describes a 48-seat screening room with two convertible wheelchair spaces, says the venue is fully wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet, and says closed-caption screenings are scheduled regularly and marked CC in listings.

Its homepage in mid-October 2026 showed a mix that suits different kinds of date: new queer features such as Extra Geography, Girls Like Girls, Blue Film and Forgotten Island; a 25th-anniversary screening of Glitter marked adults only; a screening of Amantes as part of the Safflicks Film Festival of sapphic cinema; and Rustin for Black History Month. It also listed a documentary with explicit content and a director Q&A, so read the content notes before booking a first date.

The bar and café is open Sunday to Thursday 11am–11pm and Friday and Saturday 11am–midnight, with 2-for-1 cocktails from 4pm to 6pm daily. The FAQ says the bar is nut free and plant-based, serves snacks, has a partnership with a local pizza delivery outlet, and welcomes dogs in the bar and on the terrace, with occasional dog-friendly screenings. Its footer is plain about its door policy: no sexists, racists, fascists, homophobes or transphobes.

The homepage does not show standard ticket prices. Its membership page gives three tiers: Member at £65 a year with 12 free tickets (up to two per screening) and £2 off other tickets; Premium Member at £125 with 24 free tickets; and Concession Member at £30 for under-25s and over-60s, with six free tickets and further tickets at £6, bought in person with proof of age. All tiers include 10% off food and drink at The Arzner and its sister bar The Rising, and no booking fees. If you both expect to go back, a pair of concession memberships pays for itself quickly.

• The ArznerLGBTQ+ cinema and bar

  10 Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN

  48-seat screen, fully wheelchair accessible; bar 11am–11pm Sunday to Thursday, to midnight Friday and Saturday; memberships from £30.

SPECTRA: monthly queer shorts

The Arzner's SPECTRA page describes a monthly screening of short films celebrating bold, queer storytelling from emerging and independent filmmakers. It says plainly that it is not a festival but a regular platform, a place to watch, share and connect through queer short films, and it invites filmmakers to submit work.

Shorts nights are underrated for dates. Each film is over quickly, the programme is mixed, so neither of you has to sit through a feature you dislike, and there is always something to talk about at the bar afterwards. If one of you makes films, it is also a good way to meet people in the same scene. Dates are not listed on the SPECTRA page itself, so check the cinema's What's On listings or its Instagram.

Pink Palace at the Rio, Dalston

The Rio Cinema, at 107 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB, describes Pink Palace as its regular queer lo-fi film club, and its listings mark Pink Palace screenings with a PP code. In October 2026 its programme included Gus Van Sant's Elephant from 15 October, J.G. Ballard's Crash from 19 October, It Came From Kuchar, Aria from 29 October, and Who Killed Teddy Bear from 5 November. The individual listing for Elephant did not give a time or price, so check each event's booking page.

The same Rio programme listed a Queer Horror Nights screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with a live shadow cast on 31 October, which is close to a perfect Halloween date if you both enjoy audience participation. The Rio's box office line, 020 7241 9410, is listed as open 2pm–8pm daily.

For the Rio's history as a home for queer cinema and its charity status, see our LGBTQ+ film guide; for the night itself, the thing to know is that it is low-key by design. The films are often older, stranger or harder to find, and the crowd comes for that.

• Pink Palace at the Rio Cinemaqueer film club

  107 Kingsland High Street, Dalston, E8 2PB

  The Rio's regular queer lo-fi film club; autumn 2026 titles include Elephant, Crash, Aria and Who Killed Teddy Bear.

Bar Trash at Genesis: queer cult double bills

Genesis Cinema's listings describe Bar Trash as a celebration of cult and curious cinema hosted by the queer film fanatic Token Homo and friends, served with themed drinks, introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways and subtitles or captions where possible. It is strictly 18+.

Its current season, the 14th, is called Trash Planet 3: Apocalypse!. The listing we read was a queer horror double feature of David Cronenberg's Shivers (1975) and David DeCoteau's Creepozoids (1987), with a 7.30pm start, a running time of 210 minutes including one intermission, and tickets from £3.50 plus fees. The page notes that this event was on a different day and time from usual, so do not assume the slot repeats.

Bar Trash works best for a date where you both like films that are fun to laugh at together. Three and a half hours is a commitment, though; the intermission is a natural moment to decide whether you are staying for the second film or moving on to a drink.

• Bar Trash at Genesis Cinemacult film night

  Genesis Cinema, east London

  18+ cult and queer double bills hosted by Token Homo; recent listing from £3.50 plus fees, 7.30pm start.

Community screenings: the Cinema Museum and a library club

At the Cinema Museum, La Monocle's Film Club describes itself as a queer community film club inspired by Le Monocle, the historic Parisian club. Its aim is a consistent, friendly and accessible community space where queer people can gather and feel fully welcomed, with a FLINTA focus, and it says proceeds from its evenings help fund a bar that the FLINTA South London community is building. The museum's listing showed no upcoming dates when we checked, and points to the club's Instagram for news.

In south London, Southwark Council's events listing has advertised an LGBTQ+ Film Club at Dulwich Library, 368 Lordship Lane, SE22 8NB. The only listing we found was from February 2025, more than a year old: free LGBT History Month screenings on Friday evenings, with no booking needed. We found no current programme. Library screenings are a gentle option for a first meeting: free, early in the evening, and easy to follow with dinner nearby. Contact the library to ask whether the club is still meeting.

• La Monocle's Film Club, Cinema Museumcommunity queer film club

  The Cinema Museum, London

  FLINTA-focused queer film nights; proceeds support a community bar project; no dates listed when checked.

• LGBTQ+ Film Club, Dulwich Libraryfree library screening

  368 Lordship Lane, SE22 8NB

  Free Friday screenings 5.30pm–7pm, no booking, most recently listed for February 2025.

Fringe! in September

Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest is the main queer film festival in the second half of the year. Film London's listing describes its 15th edition as showcasing films, arts and events celebrating LGBTIQA+ stories from around the world, at various London venues, from Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 September 2025. Its own site carried a 2026 programme when we checked but did not state dates in its page text, and 2027 dates had not been announced.

Because Fringe! uses several venues, it is a good way to try a cinema you have not been to. Pick one screening with a Q&A, book early, and plan a walk or a drink nearby rather than trying to do a whole day.

Choosing a night

For a first date, The Arzner and the library screenings are the most relaxed: you can arrive early for a drink, the room is small, and there is somewhere to sit and talk afterwards. Pink Palace suits people who like older and odder films. Bar Trash is for a second or third date when you already know you share a sense of humour. A SPECTRA shorts night is a good compromise if you are not sure what the other person likes.

Whichever you choose, check content notes and age limits on the listing. Several of the screenings above are marked adults only or carry explicit content warnings, which is fine for many dates but worth agreeing beforehand.

Before you go

• Check each screening's booking page for time and price; several listings, including the Rio's Pink Palace pages, do not show them on the summary page.
• Read content warnings and age limits: Bar Trash is 18+, and some Arzner screenings are adults only or contain explicit material.
• The Arzner's concession membership, £30 a year for under-25s and over-60s, has to be bought in person with proof of age.
• Look for CC in The Arzner's listings for closed-caption screenings, and ask the venue directly about access at the Rio, Genesis and the Cinema Museum.
• Community clubs such as La Monocle's and the Dulwich Library screenings post dates irregularly, so contact them before travelling.

Questions people ask

Is there an LGBTQ+ cinema in London?

Yes. The Arzner, at 10 Bermondsey Square, SE1 3UN, describes itself as London's LGBTQ+ cinema and bar. It has a 48-seat screening room and a bar, and Wikipedia says it was founded in 2025 in the former Kino Bermondsey, named after the director Dorothy Arzner.

What is Pink Palace?

Pink Palace is the Rio Cinema's regular queer lo-fi film club in Dalston. Its autumn 2026 listings include Elephant on 15 October, Crash on 19 October, Aria on 29 October and Who Killed Teddy Bear on 5 November. Check each listing for times and prices.

Are there cheap queer film nights in London?

Bar Trash at Genesis listed its queer horror double bill from £3.50 plus fees. The Arzner's concession membership costs £30 a year for under-25s and over-60s and includes six free tickets, with further tickets at £6. Dulwich Library's LGBTQ+ Film Club screenings were free in 2025, though we found no current dates.

When is Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest?

Fringe! runs in September. Film London listed its 15th edition from 13 to 21 September 2025 at venues across London. Its site lists a 2026 programme; check it for current dates. Dates for 2027 had not been announced when we checked.