The sticky red carpet and broken lampshades perfectly suit the quirky dress-up parties, cabaret line-ups and prop-themed nights at this cradle of the retro boom. Read more.
This bar-restaurant-cabaret complex in an ex-factory building has become part of the furniture in E2: its little black-box stage is the beating heart of east London's alt performance scene. Read more.
The scandalously successful New York nightspot established a London branch in early 2011. Read more.
Some staggeringly clever design means that although there’s room for just 60 in this subterranean converted Victorian loo, CellarDoor never feels claustrophobic. Read more.
This late-night cabaret-burlesque-drag-DJ club and live music venue is a Soho institution with a long and colourful history. Read more.
The successor to the institution that was Pizza on the Park, this jazz and cabaret venue is also part of the Pizza Express stable.
Tucked away in a corner of the City, this cabaret outpost from the Proud stable is one of the lushest dinner-cabaret spaces in town. Read more.
This legendary queer performance pub has a star-studded past (the gay Kray used to drink here, Regina Fong held court and Lily Savage got her start behind the bar) and insistently eclectic line-up. Read more.
A major 2011 refurbishment of this bastion of new theatre included the launch of Downstairs, a dedicated comedy and cabaret space. Read more.
This louche, intimate basement venue serves up some of the best burlesque in town beneath writhing absinthe-inspired arabesques. Read more.
This nautical stalwart is home to musical-theatre favourites like Paul L Martin’s up-and-comers night Cheese ’n’ Crackers and notorious Christmas panto. Read more.
The ranged balconies of this high-ceilinged supper club are great for the aerial work in its long-running floorshow. Read more.
This sumptuous London institution is home to top-notch variety nights La Rève (Friday) and the Wam Bam Club (Saturdays). Read more.
This intimate theatre regularly offers cabaret-style shows from vintage music hall to New York burlesque. Read more.
One of the city’s premier venues for contemporary circus and performance work. Read more.
The main stage and particularly the basement space here are regularly home to cabaret work.
The oldest functioning music hall in the world is one of London’s most beautiful venues and home to occasional magic and cabaret shows. Read more.
