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Another Brighton LGBTQ+ venue to close

Tuesday, 11 August 2026 13:20

By Kriss Herbert

Another LGBTQ+ venue is set to leave Brighton, with R-Bar confirming it will close permanently next month - just days after Charles Street Tap announced its own closure.

R-Bar, one of Brighton's best-known LGBTQ+ bars, has announced it will close permanently next month. The seafront venue, owned by Revenge Brighton, shared the news in an emotional statement posted to social media.

R-Bar is the sister venue to Club Revenge, one of the south of England's biggest LGBTQ+ nightclubs, and has operated as a popular pre-clubbing bar and daytime hangout on Marine Parade. The announcement marks another loss for Brighton's queer nightlife scene.

The closure comes just days after Charles Street Tap, another Brighton LGBTQ+ venue, announced it would shut its doors in September when its lease expires. Charles Street Tap has been a fixture of Brighton's LGBTQ+ scene since opening in 2001.

In their statement, Revenge Brighton said they were "absolutely devastated to be losing another LGBTQ+ venue in Brighton at a time when safe queer spaces are more important than ever". The announcement thanked staff, performers, DJs and customers who have been part of R-Bar over the years.

The venue urged the community to support remaining LGBTQ+ spaces in the city, tagging other local bars including Legends Brighton, Queens Arms, and Affinity. Brighton has long been considered the UK's unofficial LGBTQ+ capital, with a thriving queer scene centred around the Kemptown area. Revenge also confirmed R-Bars sister venue, Revenge will remain open and will "continue to fly the flag for Brighton's LGBTQ+ nightlife"

R-Bar has said the last trading day will be Sunday 20th September.