Old Compton Street in Soho, long regarded as the centerpiece of the United Kingdom’s LGBTQ+ celebrations, experienced its most subdued Pride weekend in recent memory.
Local businesses reported markedly lower footfall and revenue, describing the event as culturally stifled and economically disappointing.
“It was the quietest, most economically and culturally stifled Pride Soho has ever seen,” said Eran Tibi, owner of Kapara, a restaurant just off Old Compton Street. “Historically, Pride yields three to four times our standard weekend revenue, making it bigger than New Year’s Eve for many of us.”
Tibi opened Kapara three years ago, describing the venture as an emotional milestone after moving to London two decades earlier to train as a chef.
When Tibi attempted to host his own Pride‑related event in 2023, officials ordered the speakers to be unplugged, despite his investment in a licence, stage and DJ.
He added, “I paid for a complicated licence to stay open later, I built a stage and booked a DJ. But someone from licensing turned up and asked to tone it down. I have tried to push through something similar every year, but there’s clearly no point.”
Iconic venue G‑A‑Y Bar closed permanently in October, with owner Jeremy Joseph citing a loss of vibrancy in the area.
Joseph remarked, “When I opened the Old Compton venue, it was the gayest street in London, but now it has lost its identity. I no longer feel safe enough to hold another man’s hand in the area.”
He also observed that during Pride month, a third of nearby businesses chose not to display a Pride flag.
Coven nightclub, which recently took over the former G‑A‑Y Bar, celebrated its first Pride weekend under new ownership. Owner Matthew Jacobs Morgan said the atmosphere had become increasingly sanitized, prompting his own shift from patron to venue operator.
“It was great we were busy, but it came with a lot of conditions. I had to pay for ten security staff when the average for this building is four,” Morgan explained. “I am asking for a permanent licence extension but it feels like they are already saying no before I have made my case.”
Younger patrons are gravitating toward venues in Camden, Hackney and Dalston, where later opening hours and a perceived authenticity contrast with Soho’s restrictions, according to waiter Calum Lees.
Lees noted, “It can feel highly commercialised around here. A lot of my friends are going to Dalston now, which is sad because Soho is meant to be the traditional centre.”
Restaurant general manager Ava Wesson suggested that pedestrianising additional streets could enable al fresco dining and restore the outdoor vibrancy that Pride once offered.
She said, “Young people want to be outside. Pride here used to be much more free‑flowing, with people milling about on the streets. Now you have to sit inside and get tables due to restrictions, which simply does not appeal.”
Councillor Tim Barnes highlighted that more than a million people visited central London for Pride this year, and affirmed the council’s support through temporary event notices and the Pride Market on Rupert Street.
He concluded that easing licensing constraints and expanding pedestrian zones could revive Soho’s historic role as the heart of the nation’s LGBTQ+ celebrations.
