Ask anyone on the Birmingham scene where the night tends to end up, and sooner or later someone says Gale's. The Nightingale Club — the Gale, to most of the people who actually go — is the city's largest and longest-running LGBTQ+ venue, a sprawling, multi-room club just off Hurst Street on Kent Street, and a fixture of queer Birmingham for decades. It's built for a big night. Several rooms with several soundtracks — pop in one, something harder in the next — across a space that holds around 2,000, filling with everyone from first-timers on their first scene night out to regulars who've been coming since the eighties. Drag, cabaret and live performance share the bill with the DJs, so there's usually a show on as well as a dancefloor. It's a proper club, not a bar — come for the late one, not the quiet pint. What to expect: Multi-room club, ~2,000 capacity · cocktails, beer and wine · live music and drag · outdoor seating · works for big groups and for going solo. Nights & opening hours: Main nights Thursdays and Saturdays, 10pm–4am, plus one-off events and Pride parties. Getting there: 18 Kent Street, B5 6RD — a short walk from Hurst Street and the Gay Village, near the Hippodrome and city centre. Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible restroom listed; access info via Google — confirm with the venue.
What You'll Find
Accessibility (via Google)
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Accessibility data from Google. If anything's wrong, let us know.
Photos via Google · By Emperor, Daniel D. Reimer, Anna K, Lucie Jayne Bates, Angie “Dontpaniciamrealist” Pam, Giovanni Stanco
Reviews
Drew Wakefield-Pearce
A sad sad experience. We left after 40 minutes. We went on a Saturday when it should have been and used to be packed . We've not been in years and it takes you to the middle floor now which had about 5 people there. Top floor is a bit better but nothing like the old gale. Not even sure how to get to the new 'village' that's been moved here and we didn't bother. Whole place needs a total overhaul to bring it back to days of old or just close it down and leave us with our memories. RIP Hurst street
a month ago
Destinymorgan.888
Great place to go with any amount of friends👯♀️, I’ve attended events🎉 here a hand full of times and i cant wait to attend future events😁 You can easily make new friends to spend time with if you decide to go solo😇 I recommend coming to this nightclub whenever you are on a night out in town🥳 They have many different rooms with all sorts of music playing so its nice to have that variety and to explore the grounds🤩
a year ago
nevaeh
i’ve always liked this club and have had good experiences here before, including enjoying the music on the night itself. unfortunately, what happened with security has completely changed how safe i feel here. my friend and i were sexually assaulted on the dance floor. a security guard was nearby and appeared to look over, and while he may not have seen every detail, it was very clear from our body language that we were uncomfortable and trying to get away. no intervention was made. later, when we went outside to leave, a group of men approached us and wouldn’t leave us alone. another security guard stood nearby and watched without stepping in or asking them to move on. security’s role is to ensure people feel safe, especially when it’s clear someone is distressed. the lack of action made in both situations was extremely disappointing and left us feeling unprotected. i hope management takes this seriously and reviews staff training and response, because no one should feel unsafe in a venue like this.
6 months ago
More of the Gay Village
The Nightingale Club is one of Birmingham's LGBTQ+ venues. See every gay bar in Birmingham, or read up on the Gay Village itself.