Molly House

About this place Molly House

Molly House takes its name from the 18th-century underground spaces where gay men and cross-dressers gathered in secret — a deliberate historical reference that frames the bar as a continuation of queer survival culture rather than a commercial product of it. The bar is on Richmond Street at the edge of the Gay Village and operates as the most alternative, gender-inclusive and politically conscious venue in the area. Where the mainstream Canal Street bars cater to a predominantly gay male, pop-music-oriented crowd, Molly House has a broader queer constituency: trans and non-binary people, lesbians, queers of colour, people who find the mainstream scene alienating. Craft beer and cocktails, cabaret nights, spoken word, drag that goes beyond the commercial format. The regular programme of themed nights and events is the best in Manchester for queer cultural programming outside of Manchester Pride itself.