Guide by Vana

Dance and nightlife groups in London

10 dance and nightlife groups in London, each one on the Guide on merit.

1. BBZ

   Clubs & wellness in South East London

   A QTIBPOC club night and curatorial collective from South East London, centring queer womxn, trans and non-binary people of colour.

2. Body Movements

   Nightlife & dance in Southwark Park

   A queer nightlife festival that started as a multi-venue rave in Hackney Wick in 2021 and now hosts two editions a year in Southwark Park. The festival features five stages (Mother, The Strap, Snatch, Hot Mess, and Glory Hole) showcasing LGBTQ+ culture across the UK and beyond, with DJs including Babymorocco, Blasha & Allatt, FAFF, and Roza Terenzi, plus collectives like Dalston Superstore and Daytimers. The 2026 edition takes place on the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend.

3. Daytimers

   Clubs & wellness in London (roaming)

   The British South Asian collective that rewired the daytime rave. DJs, producers and poets taking over club rooms and institutions, from the Barbican to warehouse parties.

4. Exilio

   Clubs & wellness in City-wide nightlife

   Where the Latin and queer scenes properly overlap. A recurring home for people who are both.

5. Horse Meat Disco

   Clubs & wellness in Vauxhall

   A weekly Sunday night queer party at the Eagle in Vauxhall, running since 2004 and hosted by a collective of four DJs. The crowd is all-inclusive, drawing homos, heteros, bears, fashionistas and drag queens to dance to Italo disco, punk-funk and disco. Entry is around £6 to £8 and things get going around 11pm.

6. Jazzmad (New Cross)

   Fitness & outdoors in New Cross, South London

   Wednesday night swing and Lindy Hop at a South London venue. Beginners' lesson before the social, free entry from 8pm to see the room first.

7. Salsateca

   Fitness & outdoors in Central London

   Daily salsa and bachata across London, with social dances most nights. One of the city's great dancefloors.

8. Steam Down

   Clubs & wellness in Peckham

   Steam Down is a weekly jazz collective and jam session founded in 2017 by multi-instrumentalist Ahnansé, based in Deptford. The core group of eight musicians creates longform improvisations blending African, Caribbean and UK sounds, with guest players joining the spontaneous sessions. It has built a loyal following and a reputation as the place to experience the raucous edge of London's new jazz scene.

9. The Latin Collective

   Clubs & wellness in City-wide

   The dependable weekly fixture if you want to dance, not stand near a salsa playlist.

10. UHAUL Dyke Rescue

    Nightlife & dance in Tottenham

    A queer club night and pop-up project founded by Lucy Nurnberg and co-led with Ali Wagner. Since August 2024, the Uhaul Dyke Raves have run regularly, originally at The Yard in Hackney Wick. The project also includes the Mobile Dyke Bar, a pop-up festival venue in a Luton van that has appeared at the V&A Museum, Mighty Hoopla, Field Maneuvers, Charleston House and RuPaul's DragCon.

Every club and community in London