XXL (club)

XXL was a gay nightclub in London and Birmingham which catered to the bear sub-group.[1][2][3] The club was founded by Mark Ames and his then partner David Dindol in 2000. They separated in 2005, after which Mark purchased his ex-partner's share of the club. It was the largest dedicated "bear" venue in the United Kingdom and the world[citation needed]. It was not just the bear scene's longest-running weekly disco but London's too, having not missed a night in over 16 years[citation needed].

Between 2012[4] and 2019, XXL London was based at Pulse, which closed in September 2019[5][6] to make way for a future development of luxury apartments. There are currently no public plans for a future venue but it is understood that discussions are ongoing.[7]

  1. ^ Jason Cochran (5 February 2009). Pauline Frommer's London: Spend Less, See More. John Wiley & Sons. p. 320. ISBN 978-0-470-46511-0.
  2. ^ Editors of Time Out (2 January 2014). Time Out London. Time Out Guides Limited. p. 581. ISBN 978-1-84670-426-0.
  3. ^ Lonely Planet; Emilie Filou; Steve Fallon; Damian Harper; Vesna Maric (1 October 2013). Lonely Planet London. Lonely Planet Publications. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-74321-833-4.
  4. ^ "History and Highlights | XXL London". Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  5. ^ "XXL, one of London's leading gay clubs, is being forced to close". Mixmag. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  6. ^ Cross, Dave (4 October 2019). "XXL The Last Dance at Pulse: Saturday 21st September". Boyz. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  7. ^ Cross, Dave (18 September 2019). "XXL Last Dance at Pulse this Saturday". Boyz. Retrieved 5 October 2019.