Gay Belfast Scene

Going out in Gay Belfast this month? If you're planning a trip to Belfast and want to know what's available or if you've lived in Belfast all your life but never set foot on the Gay Scene, then we hopes this information will help you find your way about Belfast.

The Scene in Belfast is located just north of the City Centre in the Cathedral Quarter. Check out the Gay Belfast map. Let the Gay Belfast website plan your day: Click Here. If you see something which we haven't included please contact us and let us know.

Union Street Bar: Belfast's trendy award winning gay bar. Union Street, has a excellent late (Midnight to 6am) club night on Saturday - 'EVENT'. Check it out today. Web Link: www.unionstreetpub.com. Location Map.

MYNT is a Belfast's gay dance club and bar for men and women. MYNT is located in Dunbar Street, Cathedral Quarter. It's club Yello has been voted No. 34 in the world's best clubs. Food is served at lunchtime all week. t: 028 90 234520. Web Link: www.myntbelfast.com. Location Map.

Forbidden Fruit presents SWAGGER @ El Divino: is the only place to be on a Monday nite. Forbidden Fruit on Monday now resides at El Divino (used to be called The Edge, Laganbank Road.) Check out their website www.eldivino-belfast.com.

Forbidden Fruit at Victoria's presents THE SHOW Belfast newest Gay Night. Victoria's Bar (Formerly Advocate) is located on Chichester Street beside House of Fraser. Drag Queens at the ready join in with the Biggest Show in Belfast every Sunday. Victoria's Bar has also a successful gay Saturday nite.

White's Tavern: gay friendly bar on Winecellar Entry with the occasional gay night. This a very friendly bar that is worth a look in the afternoon. The has been serving Belfast drinkers since 1630.

Queens Bar: Gay friendly city centre pub located at Queens Arcade. Tel: (028)90321347. Location Map.

The John Hewitt: Gay friendly Cathedral Quarter pub located at Donegall Street Tel: (028) 90233768. Web Link: www.thejohnhewitt.com. Location Map.

The Spaniard: Gay friendly Cathedral Quarter bar and "Tapas Bar" at Skipper Street. The "Belfast/Basque" style bar is worth a visit for its tapas and cocktails. Great fun. Location Map.

Muriel's Café Bar: Situated in Church Lane close to Victoria Square this place is an absolute must! Styled with a boudoir feel to reflect its rumoured past as a brothel and once hat shop, the bar has an appealing old-fashioned charm with gay friendly trendy types making this place one of the best venues in Belfast. From those who brought us The Spaniard. Location Map.

Ryan's Bar & Restaurant: gay friendly bar on the Lisburn Road. See their website www.ryansbelfast.com.

The LGBT Centre at Waring Street houses a number of community organisations such as Cara-Friend, Rainbow Project, LASI, Gay Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland, Queerspace plus many more. They provide all kinds of services to the LGBT community in Belfast: helplines, counselling, advocacy, provisions for sexual health, a youth group etc. See our links page for further information.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland: independent public body established under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Based at Equality House in Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. Tel: 028 9050 0600 or vist their website www.equalityni.org

Nick's Warehouse: Hill Street. Great food in a wonderful old warehouse in the Cathedral Quarter.

Ba Soba Noodle Bar: Hill Street. Another great restaurant near the gay scene.

Made in Belfast: Two Belfast Bar Restaurant, specializing in Northern Irish cuisine and those influences to Northern Irish cuisine. East London meets Left Bank Paris.....a mixture of eceletic design and rare grooves, top service and affordable mouth watering dishes, which change daily. We love it. At City Hall and Cathedral Quarter. Website: www.madeinbelfastni.com

The Spaniard: Tapas at Skipper Street! You bet, the "Belfast/Basque" style bar is worth a visit for its food and cocktails. Great fun. Location Map.

Union Street Bar: Belfast's trendy award winning gay bar has also a great restaurant. Check out the Union Street website for the latest menu: www.unionstreetpub.com. Location Map.

The Pipeworks: 2 Union Street (near the Kremlin and Union Street Bar). Belfast's first gay/lesbian sauna offers everything the well-scrubbed local and visitors could require. With sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room, video lounge and café, this late-hour haven gets very busy at weekends. Monday night is women-only. Beside Union St. Bar.Web Link: www.thepipeworks.com.

Outside: a space for Bi-Sexual and Gay men to meet, enjoy, relax, be themselves, find themselves, make friends and have fun. Located at Donegall Lane in Belfast. Telephone: 028 9032 4448. Website: www.belfastgaysaunas.com

Do you like crusing for sex? Squirt has over 15,000 locations listed where gay & bisexual guys meet for sex. Over 40 are listed for Northern Ireland. Gay Saunas, Adult Bookstores, Cottages, Cruising Parks, Restrooms, Rest Areas... You name it, you'll find it on Squirt! Other features include instant live chat, gay personals, cruising stories, message boards and importantly safety advice. Free Membership.

Belfast Visitor Website: Check out what Belfast has to offer: www.gotobelfast.com

City Visitor: Learn more about what Belfast has to offer: www.city-visitor.com

Worldsbestbars.com: Review of the best bars in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK and throughout the world: www.worldsbestbars.com

BY AIR
Low-cost airline, easyJet, fly into Belfast International Airport from several national destinations including Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Bristol and Newcastle, as well as international destinations Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Malaga. Other airlines flying to Belfast include Jet2 and bmibaby.

BY COACH/BUS
Translink / Bus Eireann operate a number of services between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland while National Express can provide information on travelling from mainland Britain to Belfast by coach.

BY TRAIN
The Enterprise service connects Belfast & Dublin in 2 hours. See Translink for more info.

BY FERRY
P&O Irish Sea & Stenaline have information on crossings between the UK mainland and Northern Ireland.

BY CAR
To plan your journey by car, the AA website has a useful Journey Planner which suggests the quickest routes into the City.

Banks:
Hours are generally Mon-Fri, 9.30am - 4.30pm with some opening Sat mornings. Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) dispense cash at hundreds of locations - banks, garages, and shopping centres. Using a credit card in an ATM is an easy way of obtaining sterling if you are travelling from the Republic of Ireland or from abroad. Bank of Ireland, a corporate partner of BVCB, has 47 branches across the province. Bureau de Change are in larger bank branches, travel agencies, the Belfast Welcome Centre, some other Tourist Information Centres, big hotels and a few visitor attractions.

Business Contacts:
Chamber of Commerce: 028 9020 0201; Belfast City Business Club: 028 9032 0202; Investment Business Ltd: 028 9033 1136; Belfast First Stop Business Shop: 028 9027 8399; Rotary Club: 028 9036 5131

Cars-24 hour petrol:
A number of petrol stations with extended hours are on major roads to Belfast, usually with mini-markets attached.

Car Parking:
Multi-storey and off-street car parks have hourly tariffs dependent on location. On-street pay and display zones are clearly marked. Pay heed to restriction notices drawing attention to morning and evening rush hour clearways and bus lanes when in operation.

Central Library:
Royal Avenue Tel: 028 9024 3233 Open Mon-Sat to visiting browsers, with spacious and well-stocked reference section.

Disability Access:
Belfast Buildings are more accessable to wheel-chair users than ever. Disability Action: Tel. 028 9049 1011

Internet Cafes:
Internet Cafe at the Belfast Welcome Centre, 47 Donegall Place, Belfast. Tel: 028 9024 6609 Friends Cafe, 109-113 Royal Avenue, Belfast. Tel: 028 9024 1096 ITXP, 175-177 Ormeau Road, Belfast. Tel: 028 9022 8111 ITXP, The Kennedy Centre, Falls Road, Belfast. Tel: 028 9096 2222 Revelations, the Internet Cafe, 27 Shaftesbury Square, Belfast. Tel: 028 9032 0337

Lost Valuables:
Police Lost Property Tel: 028 9065 0222 will put you in contact with the nearest police station.

Medical & Dental Services:
Advice on medical and dental emergencies- Health Information Service. Tel: 0800 665544

Newspapers:
Belfast is unusual in having three dailies, Belfast Telegraph, Irish News and Newsletter, as well as the Sunday Life. All have daily entertainment listings. The free monthly tourism newspaper "Northern Ireland Travel News", obtainable in Ports, Tourist Information Centres and travel agencies etc., has pages on current attractions and events. The monthly events guide 'Whatabout?' provides a detailed definitive guide to the city, and is available in all airports, ferry terminals, bus & train stations, hotels and from the Belfast Welcome Centre.

Places of Worship:
Main Sunday services of major Christian denominations are advertised in the Saturday edition of the Belfast Telegraph. Places of worship for most faith communities are listed in Yellow Pages. The two cathedrals in central Belfast are St. Anne's Cathedral (Anglican/Church of Ireland) on Donegall Street and St. Peter's Cathedral (Roman Catholic) on Derby Street.

Postal Services:
Post Offices and red post boxes are all over the city; Main Post Office is at Castle Junction and late mailings are accepted at Tomb Street Sorting Office. Small books of UK stamps are available in most convenience stores and petrol stations.

Phone Numbers:
The Northern Ireland Dialling Code (028) or (28) is used as a prefix when dialling from outside the region, or when making internal calls using a mobile phone. All Belfast numbers are composed of (028) followed by 90 and six digits. Eg. Belfast Welcome Centre: (0)28 9024 6609

Pub Hours:
Generally Mon-Sat, 11.30am-11pm, Sundays, 12.30-10pm. Many bars in Belfast have later opening hours on Thurs- Sat nights. Children are not permitted on licensed premises. No alcohol may be served to under 18s.

Shopping Hours:
City Centre Shops generally open Mon- Sat, 9.30am-5.30pm (Thurs. until 9pm).Some larger stores open Sun 1-5pm. Neighbourhood stores and garage forecourt convenience shops often open much longer - 24 hours in many cases.

Gay Belfast: the award winning website for scene news and events for the Belfast gay and lesbian community and those visiting the city. Coming to Belfast? Let Gay Belfast plan your day finds out what's happening each day in Belfast's gay scene. We tell you the best gay bars and clubs in Belfast so you do not waste any time. Check out the Gay Belfast recommended hotels and guesthouses for places to stay.