Bromley’s groundbreaking queer venue AMBI has announced the launch of an exciting new Drag Race competition, further cementing its role as a bold and inclusive project at the heart of South London’s LGBTQ+ scene.

The Drag Race is on

Since opening its doors at Cocktail Akademia in Bromley in May 2025, AMBI Club Nights have challenged expectations of what nightlife can be in one of London’s most overlooked boroughs. Founded by South Londoners Nicola, DJ Kaspa, and Steve AMBI was created with a clear mission: to offer an alternative to the mainstream, with an unashamedly queer, diverse, and community-focused space that is inclusive for bi, pan, trans+, and queer people – and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.

Now, building on its early success, AMBI is inviting the capital’s drag artists to battle it out in its newly launched Drag Race competition – a multi-month live event that will showcase the vibrancy, creativity, and raw talent that defines London’s drag scene. It’s happening at Bromley’s other late-licenced venue, Seven Seas Bar and Lounge – a fully accessible venue that has recently been refurbished.

Open to drag queens, kings, non-binary performers, and gender-defying artists of all stripes, AMBI Drag Race promises to deliver dazzling performances, fierce competition, and a platform for emerging and established performers alike to shine:

AMBI: championing alternative nightlife

AMBI was born out of a desire to create space for people marginalised by the homogenisation of mainstream nightlife. Co-founder Steve said:

When you’re working class and queer, you often don’t see yourself reflected in many venues. When you’re bi, you never see yourself reflected in any venues. When you live in South London, you certainly don’t. And if you’re not part of a particular tribe, then you rarely ever do anywhere.

AMBI seeks to address that by putting on events that centre the entire community – not just one tribe, gender, or identity.

Its new Drag Race competition is a natural extension of that ethos:

AMBI’s programming continues to foreground the voices and talents of people often sidelined by commercialised LGBTQ+/Pride circuits or corporate-driven club nights. Rather than simply importing big-name acts, AMBI Drag Race aims to spotlight the incredible local and grassroots drag performers who are pushing the boundaries of gender, performance, and art – often with little institutional support.

The prize for the winner will be £500 plus a three-month residency at AMBI Drag Nights, which will continue every month at Seven Seas Bar and Lounge after the Drag Race has finished. All semi-final participants will also get a goodwill payment-in-kind – after AMBI had discussions with performing arts union Equity.

As AMBI’s organisers put it:

We want to create a space where performers don’t have to compromise who they are, where risk-taking and experimentation are celebrated, where artist morally and ethically correctly, and where drag is firmly rooted in its radical roots.

A Pride in London warm-up like no other

Ahead of the Pride in London weekend, AMBI Club Nights will also host a special Pride warm-up party on Friday 4 July, promising a night of unapologetically queer joy, dancing, and celebration. As with all AMBI events, the night will be designed to create a safe, inclusive, and electric atmosphere that welcomes the full LGBTQ+ family alongside allies, without losing sight of Pride’s radical origins:

Located at Cocktail Akademia in Bromley town centre, AMBI Club Nights continues to disrupt the outdated image of the area as a LGBTQ+ dead zone.

As the Canary reported earlier this year:

AMBI came about after conversations between Nicola, DJ Kaspa, and Steve over the limited space for queer women and bi/pan people in the capital. For example, through Kaspa’s own experience many bars and clubs either exploit women-centred nights or push them out altogether in favour of broader or male-focused events.

Similarly for bi, pan, and queer people, few nights exist on a regular basis. Moreover, the London scene is still majorly white-led, with few nights accommodating Black and brown queer people and their cultures.

But crucially, there is no LGBTQ+ scene in Bromley at all. The last permanent queer venue was the Star and Garter, which stopped being a dedicated space over 10 years ago.

On that basis DJ Kaspa (who is a lesbian), Nicola (who is straight), and Steve (who is bi and Nicola’s partner), decided to take matters into their own hands and launch their own club night.

AMBI: more than a club, more than a Drag Race – a political statement

AMBI’s arrival in Bromley has not only been a cultural breath of fresh air but a deliberate intervention in the politics of nightlife access. In a climate where commercial property prices, licensing policies, and gentrification threaten independent venues across the UK, AMBI’s existence is itself an act of resistance.

Moreover, in a climate where LGBTQ+ people’s existence – especially those who are trans and non-binary – are under more threat than ever before, AMBI’s launch is a pushback against the marginalisation of these communities.

As the organisers noted:

Bromley deserves spaces where people can feel seen, safe, and joyful. We shouldn’t need to travel into central London to access queer culture. AMBI Nights has since proven that, drawing audiences from across South London and beyond – even people from as far as Birmingham.

Applications for AMBI Drag Race competition are now open. People can email contact(at)ambi-nights.com

Applications close on 22 June, with open auditions on the 27 June. The first semi final is on Thursday 10 July. You can find out more about AMBI Drag Race here.

Meanwhile, tickets for AMBI Club Night’s Pride in London warm-up party on Friday 4 July are also on sale now, here.

Featured image supplied

By The Canary

This post was originally published on Canary.