Piccadilly Circus

Piccadilly Circus is a roundabout in London's West End. A statue of Eros, the god of love, stands at its centre. The crossroads intersect the shopping streets of Picadilly, Regent Street and Lower Regent Street, and Shaftesbury Avenue, the theatre street.

1950s
During the 1950s Picadilly Circus became the focus of queer commercial sociability after the neighbouring Leicester Square suffered a demise in gay visited venues after the Met and the LCC clamped down on heterosexual vice, making gay men's presence less acceptable. On the southeast of Piccadilly Circus was the Lilypond, on the south was the Criterion, to the north on Glasshouse Street the Regent's Palace Hotel whose bar was popular for four decades. On the northeast was the Trocadero. Bars included the White Bear and Ward's Irish House.

1990s
On 5 September 1990 OutRage! organised a "kiss in" to protest against police arresting gay men for kissing in public. A troop of cheerleaders urged everyone on - the first appearance in Britain of a new London House of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. 400 people participated in the action with no arrests. It generated press, with the Guardian running a photo caption "kiss of death" and the Independent claiming that "unless homosexuals wish to alienate the public they should conduct themselves with restraint". It was a turning point in how the Met treated gay affection in public.

2000s
DTPM was hosted for several years at the Trocadero and was famous for being one of London's most fashionable clubs in regard to its music and DJs.

See Timeline of West End Bars and Clubs.