XXL

XXL was a gay nightclub in London and Birmingham which catered to the bear sub-group. The club was founded by Mark Ames and his then partner David Dindol in 2000. They separated in 2005, after which Mark purchased his ex-partner's share of the club. It was the largest dedicated "bear" venue in the United Kingdom and the world. It was not just the bear scene's longest-running weekly disco but London's too, having not missed a night in over 16 years. Between 2012 and 2019, XXL London was based at Pulse, which closed in September 2019 to make way for a future development of luxury apartments. There are currently no public plans for a future venue but it is understood that discussions are ongoing. Venue XXL was based at Pulse in Southwark, on the corner of Southwark Street and Blackfriars Road. Pulse was on the same street as the previous venue, Arcadia. Both consist of a number of railway arches. After Arcadia became unsafe due to a structural fault in the railway arches (which only affected the nightclub, but not the trains running above), XXL moved to Pulse in March 2012, one of the capital's largest entertainment venues that was developed and converted by Ames and his team.