Gay Bars in Belfast: The Cathedral Quarter Guide
Belfast's gay bars, street by street: Union Street Bar and The Maverick on Union Street, Kremlin and Boombox on Donegall Street, and Outside Sauna on Donegall Lane, all in the Cathedral Quarter.
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Belfast's Gay Bar Scene at a Glance
Belfast's gay bars are all in the Cathedral Quarter, on two streets. Union Street Bar and The Maverick are on Union Street, the patch The Maverick calls the Rainbow Quarter, and the two clubs, Kremlin and Boombox, are a few doors apart on Donegall Street. Outside Sauna is tucked down Donegall Lane nearby. A typical night starts with food or a drink on Union Street and ends on Donegall Street, where the clubs open late.
- For your first night out: Union Street Bar, The Maverick
- For dinner or brunch, then a night out: Union Street Bar
- For an afternoon drink: The Maverick (from 2pm at weekends)
- For a big club night: Kremlin (five nights a week)
- For dancing any night of the week: Boombox (seven nights from 10pm)
- For drag: Union Street Bar (drag and DJs every week)
See all Belfast venues on Out x Out →
Union Street
Union Street is where the night usually starts, with a gay bar and restaurant and a late-opening bar facing each other.
Union Street Bar
Union Street Bar is a gay bar and restaurant at 8-14 Union Street. It bills itself as Belfast's no.1 gay spot, with entertainment six nights a week, and calls itself "our space, your celebration". The bar sums itself up as cocktails, brunch and beats, with drag and DJs every week, and it runs bingo nights too. Because it serves food as well as drinks, you can eat and stay on for the night in one place. For a brunch or dinner table, book ahead on 028 9031 6060 or at bookings@unionstreetbar.com, and check its Instagram or Facebook for the week's line-up.
The Maverick
The Maverick is a gay bar at 1 Union Street, and it places itself at the heart of Belfast's Rainbow Quarter. Its welcome is "Hey babe, take a walk on the wild side!" It says it's open until late seven days a week: from 5pm on weekdays and from 2pm on Saturdays and Sundays, so it works for a lazy weekend afternoon drink as well as a late one. You can see the menu on its website, and its Facebook page posts the week's viewing parties, themed nights and photos.
Donegall Street
Donegall Street is where Belfast's two gay clubs are, a few doors apart.
Kremlin
Kremlin is a gay nightclub at 96 Donegall Street. It calls itself Belfast's iconic LGBTQ+ nightclub and Belfast's busiest LGBTQIA+ nightclub, and its Facebook page goes further with Northern Ireland's biggest and most popular gay venue. The pitch is come as you are, and in the club's words, "Our house. Your party." It runs a different club night most nights of the week: Playroom on Monday, KLUB280 on Tuesday, Thursty on Thursday, Karnival on Friday and Revolution on Saturday. Wednesday isn't on the weekly list, and the club says Sunday is when its staff rest. Download the Kremlin loyalty app before you go: you collect stamps on each visit, and they earn you free entry. Seasonal parties and ticketed shows are posted on its Instagram.
Boombox
Boombox is a late-night gay club at 108 Donegall Street. It lists itself as a gay bar on Facebook and as a dance and night club on Instagram, and keeps its pitch short: open seven nights a week from 10pm until late. So whatever night you're out, including Sunday, when Kremlin's staff rest, and Wednesday, which isn't on Kremlin's weekly list, there's somewhere to dance after the bars. It posts its weekly nights, guest hosts and seasonal parties on Facebook and Instagram, so check there for the line-up.
Belfast's Gay Sauna
Outside Sauna is a gay men's sauna at 1-5 Donegall Lane in the Cathedral Quarter. The sauna says it sits beside Belfast's gay nightlife and bills itself as the perfect atmosphere for gay and bisexual men to meet, socialise and relax. Its old website no longer works, so its Facebook page is the place to check before you go: that's where it posts its themed nights, and you can message the team there. Full details:
Getting Around
Pro Tip
Everything is in the Cathedral Quarter, so you can walk between all four bars and the sauna. Union Street Bar and The Maverick are on Union Street, and Kremlin and Boombox are on Donegall Street. Kremlin is closed on Sundays and isn't on the weekly list on Wednesdays, so on those nights head to Boombox, which opens seven nights from 10pm. Boombox posts its line-ups on Facebook and Instagram, and Outside Sauna's old website no longer works, so check their pages before you go.
FAQ
Where is the gay area in Belfast?
The Cathedral Quarter, which The Maverick calls the Rainbow Quarter. Union Street Bar and The Maverick are on Union Street, Kremlin and Boombox are on Donegall Street, and Outside Sauna is on Donegall Lane.
What is the biggest gay club in Belfast?
Kremlin calls itself Belfast's busiest LGBTQIA+ nightclub, and its Facebook page calls it Northern Ireland's biggest and most popular gay venue. It runs club nights five nights a week.
Which gay club in Belfast is open on a Sunday?
Boombox, which is open seven nights a week from 10pm. Kremlin says Sunday is when its staff rest.
Where can I get food at a gay bar in Belfast?
Union Street Bar is a gay bar and restaurant serving brunch and dinner. Book a table on 028 9031 6060 or at bookings@unionstreetbar.com.
Is there a gay sauna in Belfast?
Yes. Outside Sauna is a gay men's sauna on Donegall Lane in the Cathedral Quarter. Check its Facebook page for opening times before you go.
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Robbie S.
I'm Robbie, the founder of Out x Out. I'm from Minneapolis, though I'm spending 2026 building this community from the road — somewhere between South America and Asia. The idea for Out x Out came from a trip to Berlin, where the gay nightlife calendar was years ahead of ours: you could see not just where to go out, but which night to go — so naturally I wanted that kind of insider info for every city in the US (and beyond... eventually). I'm more of a behind-the-scenes type, but the whole point of this is connection: I'd take one real one over a hundred surface-level ones, and I'm trying to build that for the community, city by city.
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