London’s Heaven and G-A-Y nightclubs under threat of closure

Jeremy Joseph, the owner of the G-A-Y venues across the city is considering shuttering the queer nightlife spaces.

During a guest spot on Virgin Radio UK for Pride month on Monday (13 June), Joseph said that he’s uncertain about “what the future holds at the moment.” Earlier this week he announced on Twitter that the venues, which includes the iconic Heaven, G-A-Y Bar and G-A-Y Late, would be closing from 12-19 June to give all staff time off.

Whilst the G-A-Y clubs and bars are set to reopen from 20 June, Joseph disclosed that this might not be for long. In his radio interview with presenter Steve Denyer, the owner of Heaven said that he is currently weighing up a few options for the future of the nightclub, one of which is “closing and selling up.”

“You can’t make decisions while you’re open, while you’re doing things,” he said. “So the idea is to take a complete break to close the venues. Everyone has a break. Hopefully, nothing can happen while that happens.” Joseph added that he will be taking this time away to “think about what the options are” regarding the future of the nightlife spots.

This isn’t the first time Joseph has had to consider shutting the London LGBTQ+ venues. In 2021, during the third lockdown in the UK, he was faced with the possibility of closure as the pandemic threatened business and resulted in a significant loss of money on rent and bills.

Since it opened in 1979, Heaven has hosted shows from the likes of SOPHIE, Rina Sawayama, New Order, Shygirl, Charli XCX, The Spice Girls and Doja Cat.