How To Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month In London

February marks the return of the UK’s annual LGBTQ+ History Month, a celebration of the history, rights and movements that have helped shape lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Since 2005, this month-long observance has sparked hundreds of events, fundraisers and festivals across the UK, supporting these communities while aiming to challenge prejudice and dismantle lingering preconceptions. Here’s how best to get involved in 2026.

LGBTQ+ History Month In London 2026

The National Gallery (© National Gallery, London)

Queer Art

London has long been a haven for queer creatives, from Oscar Wilde to Enid Marx. In 2022, Queer Britain, the UK’s first museum dedicated to LGBTQ+ history and culture, opened in King’s Cross, and there’s no better time to visit than History Month. Following a period of refurbishment, the museum reopens in February with a refreshed look and a new programme of talks, exhibitions and events. Photography fans, meanwhile, should beeline for café, wine and photography bar Boys! Boys! Boys!.

But queer creativity isn’t confined to queer spaces. Work by LGBTQ+ artists is woven throughout London’s national museums, often hiding in plain sight. On 2 and 15 February, Gallery Educator Dr Tilly Scantlebury leads a special LGBTQ+ tour and talk at the National Gallery, re-examining the historic collection through a queer lens. Similar tours take place at Tate Britain on 8 and 15 February, and at Tate Modern on 15, 20 and 22 February.

Queer History

But it’s not only queer art that museums are celebrating. At the British Museum, weekly ‘Desire, love, identity’ tours explore its world-spanning collection through an LGBTQ+ lens, featuring objects that range from the ancient world to the present day. Over at The National Archives, a new exhibition, Love Letters, traces 500 years of devotion, longing, sacrifice and passion preserved in handwritten correspondence, including letters penned by historic LGBTQ+ figures.

Staying with the written word, readers should seek out Tropes & Subtexts at Blue Anchor Library in Bermondsey, a special LGBTQ+ History Month display that explores how queer people, explicitly or otherwise, have always been here.

Chelsea Physic Garden

Queer Tours

Queer history also thrums through London’s streets, and London with a Local’s Free Queer & LGBTQ+ History Tour is an excellent way to get under the city’s skin, departing from The Clermont Hotel every Saturday at 11am. If nature is your vice, Chelsea Physic Garden’s A Dash of Lavender programme returns, with special garden tours on Fridays and Saturdays, alongside talks and a new installation titled Threshold. February also marks the launch of a new year-round trail at the garden, exploring queer ecology.

Queer Theatre

Another area where queer creatives have left a seismic mark is London theatre – and there’s plenty to see this History Month. Major productions like Cabaret, Mamma Mia!, The Book of Mormon and The Devil Wears Prada feature prominent gay characters, while smaller fringe shows such as Already Perfect and Ballad Lines are well worth catching while you can. And we’d be remiss not to mention Titanique, the Celine Dion jukebox musical that has snowballed from a one-night fringe performance into a major, award-winning production.

Queer Bars

Despite the all-too-familiar news of yet another London gay bar closing its doors, there are still plenty of venues to enjoy – from Soho institution Heaven to Dalston Superstore and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern – and it’s vital we continue to support them. Here are our favourites.

Queer Books

Gay’s the Word is the UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookshop – and you can find it a stone’s throw from King’s Cross in London. Over the years it has evolved into an institution, hosting events, launches and readings throughout the year. While you’re there, make sure to pick up one of our favourite books by LGBTQ+ authors.

And if you love writing yourself, make sure to check out the events at The Common Press Bookshop in Shoreditch; they host monthly queer writing sessions, as well as unplugged events and poetry readings. In February, the cheekily titled monthly ‘Oral’ event (a spoken word event) has a Valentine’s Longing theme.