London's lesbian and gay scene is so huge, diverse and well-established that it's easy to forget just how much - and how fast - it has grown over the last few years. Pink power has given rise to the pink pound, gay liberation to gay lifestyle, and the ever-expanding gay village of Soho - now firmly established as the gay heart of the city - is vibrant, self-assured and unashamedly commercial. As a result of all this high-profile activity, straight Londoners tend to be a fairly homo-savvy bunch and, on the whole, happy to embrace and even dip into the city's queer offerings.

Soho is the obvious place to start exploring, with a mix of traditional gay pubs, trendy café/bars and a range of gay-run services. There are clubs to cater for just about every musical, sartorial and sexual taste, and while the bigger ones tend to cluster in the West End, there are equally well-established venues all over the city. Gay men still enjoy the best permanent facilities London-wide, but today's lesbian scene is bigger and more eclectic than it has ever been, and the cruisey girl bars which took up prize pitches on the boys' Soho turf a few years ago look like they're here to stay.

The two big outdoor events of the year are Mardi Gras and Summer Rites, in early July and early August respectively. A colorful, whistleblowing march through the city streets followed by a huge, ticketed party in Finsbury Park, Mardi Gras is the UK's biggest annual queer party, and attracts people from all over the country. For up-to-date information, festival plans and transport details, call 020/7494 2225 or visit the Web site: www.londonmardigras.com. The ticketed Summer Rites in Brixton's Brockwell Park offers a similar menu of dance, music, performance and stalls, but has so far managed to remain a more laid-back and local affair. For more information on Summer Rites, check Time Out and the queer press.

If you can't find it here, you can probably find it in the GAY to Z ( www.gaytoz.com), a vast and comprehensive online directory of gay, lesbian, bisexual and TV/TS- friendly organizations and businesses. A 96-page print version is also available direct from Gay to Z Directories, 41 Cooks Rd, London SE17 3NG, priced £3 in the UK, and £10 outside the country.

London also boasts several queer-oriented annual arts events. In March, the National Film Theatre hosts the annual Lesbian and Gay Film Festival ; in the last two weeks of June, the Mardi Gras Arts Festival , staged at venues throughout London, leads the run-up to Mardi Gras itself, and in mid-June, there's the unmissably camp National Lesbian Beauty Contest , currently held at the Scala in King's Cross; for information, call 07932 046938; for tickets, call 0870/606 0204.

Elsewhere, queer theatre and live art takes place all year round in the city's many fringe venues, arts centers, galleries and clubs. Details of most events appear in Time Out and in the many weekly, free gay papers and listings guides distributed in bars, clubs and bookshops. The most useful of these are The Pink Paper and Axiom News, which carry news and arts coverage as well as listings; Boyz and qx magazine are frothier and clubbier, with plenty of up-to-date scene information and gossip.

If you can't find it here, you can probably find it in the GAY to Z ( www.gaytoz.com), a vast and comprehensive online directory of gay, lesbian, bisexual and TV/TS- friendly organizations and businesses. A 96-page print version is also available direct from Gay to Z Directories, 41 Cooks Rd, London SE17 3NG, priced £3 in the UK, and £10 outside the country.

London also boasts several queer-oriented annual arts events. In March, the National Film Theatre hosts the annual Lesbian and Gay Film Festival ; in the last two weeks of June, the Mardi Gras Arts Festival , staged at venues throughout London, leads the run-up to Mardi Gras itself, and in mid-June, there's the unmissably camp National Lesbian Beauty Contest , currently held at the Scala in King's Cross; for information, call 07932 046938; for tickets, call 0870/606 0204.

Elsewhere, queer theatre and live art takes place all year round in the city's many fringe venues, arts centers, galleries and clubs. Details of most events appear in Time Out and in the many weekly, free gay papers and listings guides distributed in bars, clubs and bookshops. The most useful of these are The Pink Paper and Axiom News, which carry news and arts coverage as well as listings; Boyz and qx magazine are frothier and clubbier, with plenty of up-to-date scene information and gossip.

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