A venue billed as "made by women+ for women+" launches in East London this week with a café, cocktail bar, and underground event space.
Damsel, opening in Hoxton on Friday, June 20, is designed as an inclusive space for queer and trans communities and is one of the few venues in the UK to actively prioritise trans inclusion.
The space excludes unaccompanied cisgender men and centres women+, including queer women, lesbians, trans women, and non-binary people.
"From professional settings to public spaces, women+ have spent a lifetime adapting to environments that weren’t built for us.
"Spaces where we may be tolerated, but rarely prioritised.
"Damsel was born from that frustration.
"From the deep, and relentless demand for more.
"For more than being expected to shrink, to adapt and/or to endure.
"We want more than just a seat at the table.
"We want space where women don’t just exist – they thrive."
Spread over two floors, the venue offers a café, cocktail bar, and a basement cultural space for workshops, performances, film screenings, and parties.
All programming is led by women+ creatives and community organisers.
Leyla Mai, co-founder of Damsel, said: "Damsel is more than just a space.
"We are redefining what it means to exist as a woman today.
"Damsel is where ambition meets belonging, where ideas become action, and where every woman is free to just be – whether you join us to work, to unwind, to learn or to lead.
"This is just the beginning.
"The more that gather, the more powerful it becomes."
The venue will also run a quarterly residency programme and an annual fund to support women+-led projects and creative work.
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