The Duke of Wellington is so much more than a mega friendly Soho boozer, this Boyz Award-winning LGBT+ venue has hot DJs, bingo, quizzes, cabaret and community meet ups. We spoke to manager Oliver Blatherwick to see what’s coming up.
Hey Oliver, how is life at The Welly?
After such a long extended summer with great weather we are now cranking the heating up and getting cosy for the winter months. Our bingo and quiz nights have been fully booked each week so remember to book well in advance to avoid disappointment. We’ve had our best year at the Welly and have even won our company award for most improved venue in Stonegate. This couldn’t have been achieved without the support of our customers and the community, so a massive thank you to you all!
Can you tell us what you are doing for World AIDS Day?
Now we have cabaret on a Sunday in the upstairs bar what a perfect way to raise awareness with our comedy duo Glam Jam! They will be performing their cabaret at the piano set with guests from 3pm – 7pm. We will be raising money for The Food Chain which helps people living with HIV in London to have access to the nutrition they need through food deliveries and meals. We will be shaking the buckets and I will be going around selling some tasty shots – so bring your cash!
How have the shows with Glam Jam been going?
Amazing! Each show is completely different and is a rollercoaster of comedy, cabaret and crowd participation. Lady Imelda and CJ are one of the best cabaret duos in the country and we are so happy that they have joined the Welly family. There’s nothing better than to catch some early afternoon cabaret and be home in time for His Dark Materials! You can catch them on the last Sunday of every month from 3pm to 7pm.
What else is coming up in December?
We have a crammed, packed December at the Welly with every Friday closing at 1am for some extra Panda Pop nights with DJ Heidi Liscious and DJ Holestar’s Mixtape nights. We have our Xmas Sunday Cabaret special with Glam Jam in the afternoon from 3pm to 9pm and Vinegar Strokes from 9pm to close. Sheila Simmonds will be hosting a very special Xmas addition of ‘#BusyLady Bingo Baubles’ on 17th and Martha D’Arthur will be hosting our famous ‘Big Fat Quiz Of the Year’ on the 18th so book your tables via our social media, email or give us a call!
What are the Welly’s plans for Christmas?
We love celebrating Xmas at the Welly and as well as our Xmas bingo and quiz we will be doing our Sunday cabaret Xmas specials each Sunday with our monthly residents Vanity Von Glow, Vinegar Strokes and Glam Jam. We are even open on Xmas Day from 12 – 4pm so come down to the Welly for some Xmas cheer before your dinner. We will be handing out Santa hats and serving our very own spiced mulled cider, which I make myself, and I tend to go overboard on the spiced rum in it!
The Duke of Wellington, 77 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1D 6QA.
Recommended for you
