Where to Stay Near
Birmingham's Gay Village
Three hotels we'd actually book — all a five-minute totter from Hurst Street. Stay close, stay out late, fall into bed.
The closest hotels to Birmingham's Gay Village sit within about five minutes' walk of Hurst Street: the ibis at the Arcadian (reliable value, next to the Hippodrome), the Radisson Blu at Holloway Circus (a step up, top of the street), and easyHotel on John Bright Street (budget). The Village is in Southside, a few minutes from New Street station and right beside the Chinese Quarter — so you're never far from a good late meal.
Coming in for a big weekend, Pride, or just a night out you'd rather not taxi home from? The trick in Birmingham is simple: stay close enough to Hurst Street that the walk back is a stroll, not a saga. The Village is compact and central, but plenty of "city centre" hotels are a proper trek away on the wrong side of town — so here's the honest short list, all within about five minutes of the bars.
A note on how we do this: we only list places we'd actually book ourselves. The list is short on purpose. We'd rather send you to three good ones near the Village than twenty you'll regret at 2am.
Where to stay near the Gay Village
Some links below are affiliate links — if you book through them, Brum Outloud earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only list places we'd stay in ourselves; the commission doesn't buy a spot on this page.
Value ibis Birmingham — the Arcadian
Tucked into the Arcadian, next door to the Hippodrome and under five minutes from Hurst Street. A standard ibis — clean, reliable, fairly priced, no surprises — exactly what you want when the room's just somewhere to land between nights out. Where most people should start.
Heads-up: book the ibis Birmingham New Street Station at the Arcadian (postcode B5 4ST) — not the similarly-named "ibis budget Birmingham Centre" (B15 2AP), a different, further-out hotel we don't recommend for this.
Book the ibis Birmingham
Step up Radisson Blu — Holloway Circus
A full-service hotel in the tower right at the top of Hurst Street — about as close to the Village as a proper hotel gets, roughly three minutes from the bars. Bigger rooms, a bar, the works. Worth it when the occasion is, or when you want somewhere a bit more grown-up to come back to.
Book the Radisson Blu
Budget easyHotel — John Bright Street
On John Bright Street, about five minutes from the Village and handy for New Street. No-frills, transparent budget pricing — a clean bed in exactly the right spot, which for a big night out is all the room needs to be. Bonus: John Bright Street is a good run of bars and places to eat.
Book easyHotelPhotos via Google · By Daniel D. Reimer, ibis Birmingham New Street Station, Radisson Blu Hotel, Birmingham, easyHotel Birmingham City Centre
Where they are
- 1 ibis — the Arcadian
- 2 Radisson Blu — Holloway Circus
- 3 easyHotel — John Bright Street
- V The Gay Village (Hurst Street)
Getting around — and what's good nearby
The Village sits in Southside, around Hurst Street and Kent Street, about a five-minute walk from New Street station — so the train drops you almost on top of it. Everything above is walkable from the platform with a wheelie case.
You won't go hungry, either. The Chinese Quarter sits right beside the Village, so proper late-night food is a two-minute walk from the bars — and John Bright Street and the Arcadian add more bars and places to eat on the doorstep. Roll out of a club and into a meal without crossing town.
A first night in the Village
Never been? You don't need a plan or a crew — half the Village turned up exactly like that. Drop your bag, start somewhere with a bit of cabaret on, and follow the noise. Two things to read first:
Every gay bar in Birmingham — the nine venues, and which is which.
Gay Birmingham this weekend — what's actually on while you're here.