Gay Mumbai

Gay scene in Mumbai

In 2022, Mumbai's queer nights included parties by Salvation Star, which has organised them since 2007, at Toast and Tonic in BKC and Monkey Bar in Bandra. In 2022 Kitty Su, a club at The Lalit Hotel, hosted drag shows at least a couple of times a month.

Also in 2022, Gaysi Family, an online community founded in 2008, ran Halloween parties and karaoke nights, and Doolally Taproom was LGBTQIAP+ and pet friendly. Le Sutra in Bandra and The Gordon House Hotel in Colaba were queer-friendly boutique hotels, and Cafe Mondegar and Gokul in Colaba were historic queer locations, Gokul in the 1970s.

For community support, The Humsafar Trust, founded in April 1994 to reach LGBTQ+ communities in the Mumbai metropolitan area, has its Mumbai head office and Sahyog LGBTQ+ Integrated Clinic at Manthan Plaza, Nehru Road, Vakola, Santacruz (East). It is open Monday to Friday, 10:00 am to 8:30 pm.

Sources: Homegrown · The Humsafar Trust annual report 2024-2025

When to go: Pride, Kashish and other events

The Queer Azaadi Mumbai march is usually held between late January and early February; the first march, in 2008, was in August. The Mumbai Queer Pride March in 2026 was on Saturday 31 January, 3 PM to 6 PM, at August Kranti Maidan.

Gulabi Mela, started in 2014 and curated by Yaariyan with The Humsafar Trust, was held on Sunday 26 January 2025, 4 pm to 10 pm, at Holy Family Upper Lawns, Andheri East.

The 2026 Kashish Film Festival ran from 3 to 7 June, with passes of Rs 500 (day), Rs 900 (weekend, 6-7 June) and Rs 1,500 (full festival). House of Pride ran from 2 June for a month, with a drag house, a voguing workshop, a film weekend and a closing Pride party. The Secret Circle: The Pride Social, a community mixer, was on 6 June from Rs 700. Tinder Queer Made Weekend, an annual event by Gaysi Family and Tinder with crafts, art and fashion from local queer creators, was on 27 June.

Facts as of 2 Nov 2026. Sources: Wikipedia: Queer Azaadi Mumbai · Mumbai Queer Pride · The Humsafar Trust - Gulabi Mela 2025 (MyGwork) · Time Out Mumbai

Where queer events happen in Mumbai

In 2026, Mumbai's Pride events were spread from Lower Parel and Khar West to Juhu and Andheri East. They took place at antiSOCIAL in Lower Parel, 3 Art House in Khar West, Jio World Drive in Bandra Kurla Complex, 3 Stories - All Day Bar in Vile Parle West, Soho House in Juhu and The LaLiT in Andheri East. The Kashish Film Festival was at Liberty Cinema, New Marine Lines.

The Queer Azaadi Mumbai march usually starts at Gowalia Tank, also called August Kranti Maidan, and ends at Girgaum Chowpatty. In February 2024 the march began at August Kranti Maidan at 3:00 pm and moved through Gamdevi in South Mumbai.

Thane and Navi Mumbai are separate cities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which has nine municipal corporations. Thane held its first Pride march on Saturday 31 May 2025, organised by the Thane Pride Festival, from Nitin Company Junction at 4:30 pm to Talao Pali. On 18 April 2026 the festival held a silent candlelight vigil near Talao Pali against the Transgender Amendment Bill 2026; Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents was an official supporter.

Sources: Time Out Mumbai · Wikipedia: Queer Azaadi Mumbai · Free Press Journal · Free Press Journal: Thane Pride March debut · Free Press Journal: Thane Pride Festival silent vigil · Wikipedia: Mumbai Metropolitan Region · Free Press Journal: Thane Pride March kicks off from Nitin Company Junction

Is Mumbai safe for gay travellers? Law and precautions

Same-sex relations between consenting adults are legal in India, but the UK government says attitudes to LGBT+ people can be less accepting than in the UK and there is a risk of harassment and discrimination, especially outside big cities. Same-sex marriage is not legal.

The Supreme Court decriminalised consensual same-sex relations on 6 September 2018 in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, when a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra unanimously struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to that extent. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, in force from 1 July 2024 and replacing the Indian Penal Code, has no provision punishing non-consensual sodomy or other 'unnatural' sexual offences, and in October 2024 Bar & Bench reported that the Supreme Court declined to hear a petition challenging that omission.

The UK government advises that showing affection in public may attract unwanted and negative attention. On trains, police or guards are present at stations and on trains, and thefts are common, so keep passports and valuables close. In 2020 police denied permission for the Mumbai pride parade, citing concerns about links to the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

Facts as of 2 Nov 2026. Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice: India · Supreme Court Observer · Bar & Bench · Wikipedia: Queer Azaadi Mumbai · UK Home Office: Country Policy and Information Note, India, sexual orientation and gender identity (v6.0, December 2025)

Getting around Mumbai

The Aqua Line (Metro Line 3) runs from Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in the south; the final stretch to Cuffe Parade opened on 8 October 2025. It has 27 stations, 26 of them underground, with two stations serving Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (T1 and T2) and Bandra Kurla Complex as station 10.

The Western line of the Mumbai suburban railway runs from Churchgate in the south to Dahanu Road in the north. Its 15-coach trains are used in non-peak hours because platforms are too narrow for peak-hour crowds, and Railway Protection Force patrols cover 7am-11am and 5pm-10pm.

Thane is station 19 on the Central line of the Mumbai suburban railway, 34 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The Trans-Harbour line starts at Thane, crosses Thane Creek and runs 38 km to Vashi and Panvel. Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 opened on 17 November 2023 between CBD Belapur and Pendhar, and flights at Navi Mumbai International Airport began on 25 December 2025.

The UK government advises against hailing taxis on the street, especially at night; app-based taxis and pre-paid services are available.

Facts as of 3 Nov 2026. Sources: Wikipedia: Aqua Line (Mumbai Metro) · Wikipedia: Western line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) · UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice: India · Wikipedia: Central line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) · Wikipedia: Trans-Harbour line (Mumbai Suburban Railway) · Wikipedia: Navi Mumbai