Burlesque in Birmingham
— Shows, Nights
and Classes
The regular nights, the next dates, and where to learn it yourself.
Birmingham's burlesque centres on the Old Joint Stock Theatre on Temple Row West, where Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret runs on regular Saturdays and House of Allure — the city's cabaret, burlesque and drag collective, going since 2017 — stages its shows. The Glee Club hosts The Gilded Merkin, and House of Allure also plays Eden Bar in the Gay Village. In November the first ever Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival takes over four venues. House of Allure also teaches: beginner classes, no experience needed.
Coming up
- Sat 10 Oct Showgirls and Showghouls! £12
- Sat 17 Oct Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret £25
- Fri 23 Oct The Allure Spookeasy £25
- Thu 5 Nov Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival (to Sun 8 Nov) Free to £26.50
- Sat 14 Nov Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret £25
- Sat 28 Nov Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret £25
- Sun 29 Nov The Gilded Merkin: Burlesque & Cabaret £18 early bird, £22 standard (+ £2.75 fee)
- Sat 5 Dec The Old School Strip! £15–£20
- Sat 12 Dec Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret £25
Dates and prices from each organiser's or venue's own listing. Check before you book; some ticket sites add a fee.
The regular nights
Bottoms Up: Burlesque & Cabaret is the dependable one: an afternoon show at 3pm and an evening show at 7:30pm on regular Saturdays at the Old Joint Stock Theatre, the first-floor theatre above the Victorian pub at 4 Temple Row West. Stage Door Johnny hosts. Tickets are £25 on the venue's site, and it's 18+.
The Gilded Merkin, Scarlett Daggers' burlesque and cabaret night, comes to the main room at The Glee Club. It's 18+, with early-bird tickets at £18 and standard at £22.
House of Allure puts on its own shows through the year: the Allure Speakeasy at the Old Joint Stock (with a Halloween edition, the Allure Spookeasy), seasonal nights such as Showgirls and Showghouls at The Flapper on Cambrian Wharf, and one-off shows at Eden Bar in the Gay Village.
Thursday 5 – Sunday 8 November 2026
The Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival
The first ever Birmingham Drag & Burlesque Festival, from House of Allure: four days across the Old Joint Stock, the Old Rep, Fabric Dance and Eden Bar. The Allure Games on the Friday, the Follies Grandé at the Old Rep on the Saturday, Worlds Away 2.0 and Backdoor 54 at Eden Bar on the Sunday — and free workshops for performers, from boa work to striptease, through the days.
The full programme, prices and what's sold outLearn burlesque in Birmingham
House of Allure's burlesque classes run in monthly four-week blocks at the Greenlands Inn, 105 Longbridge Lane (B31 4LF). They cover pin-up, striptease, chairography, heels, comedy, character, floorwork, classic burlesque, fans and boas, and no experience is needed. They're 18+, tickets run from £7.50 to £50 on the October listing, and it says outright that queer students are welcome.
During the Drag & Burlesque Festival, free workshops run on 5, 6 and 8 November with festival performers teaching — boas, seduction, jazz technique, balloon popping, drag king makeup, character, comedy. Most have already sold out; the festival page shows which still have space.
Students at Birmingham City University have a Burlesque Society, for beginners and seasoned performers, meeting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Curzon Building.
Burlesque and drag
In Birmingham the two share stages, performers and audiences — House of Allure is a cabaret, burlesque and drag collective, and its festival bills both. For drag nights across the Gay Village, see drag shows in Birmingham; for everything on this week, what's on.