Camden LGBTQ+ pub The Black Cap gets reopening date

Part of the history of LGBTQ+ London is set to return next month, as Camden’s The Black Cap gets a grand reopening date.

The Black Cap site has been around since 1889 and established itself as one of North London’s much-loved gay venues in the 1960s. It closed in 2015 but plans to reopen it are finally coming together, with the date now set for March.

The pub’s Instagram account has announced The Black Cap’s VIP Opening night on March 21st, with 100 tickets on offer for those who enter the online draw.

"This is your chance to step back inside one of Camden’s most iconic venues before anyone else,” says The Black Cap.

Queer-friendly performance

More than a decade ago when the pub was last open, it was owned by the Faucet Inn pub chain, which went into administration in 2018.

Back following its closure, there were reports of plans to redevelop the site into flats. But, somehow, it has survived largely in its old form.

The plan was to reopen The Black Cap in 2025, but the restoration project took longer than was initially expected.

“While we had hoped to reopen sooner, a combination of construction, technical delays has pushed back our timeline. Some of the older parts of the building required more extensive restoration than originally anticipated, and we’ve also had to adjust plans to accommodate modern compliance requirements,” The Black Cap team said back in October 2025.

An estimated £2 million has been spent on refitting the venue.

The pub was where drag acts like Lily Savage and Regina Fong performed in their heyday, and the plan is to bring The Black Cap back as a performance venue with a queer angle.

At a time when we hear about so many pubs and late venues closing, the return of The Black Cap seems an unlikely story. But you can read more about it over at the We Are The Black Cap website.

It’s the home of a group that has campaigned for the return of the space since it closed more than a decade ago, including holding regular “vigils” outside the empty pub.

There will be a last one of these on March 14th, a week ahead of The Black Cap’s official reopening on March 21st. Check out the form linked from the Instagram page if you want to attend the relaunch.

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