Creating a Queer Latinx Cultural Space in London
Club Bodega | Peckham, London, UK | December, 2024
London is full of incredible nightlife, but oddly enough, there wasn’t a warm, accessible space where the Queer Latinx community could exist without performing a version of themselves for someone else. I felt that gap personally. Many of us did. So in late 2024, instead of waiting for a venue to appear magically, I started something small—almost improvised—in the hope it could grow into a home.
I had to build a community from scratch, with no ready-made audience, no big budget, and definitely no template for what a Queer Latinx gathering should look like in South London.
The goal was deceptively simple:
Create a monthly space (first Sunday of every month) that feels like walking into a Latin American home—warm food, familiar sounds, and that effortless sense of belonging that doesn’t need to be explained.
Core objectives:
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Build a safe and welcoming environment for Queer Latinx people
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Celebrate heritage without leaning on stereotypical visuals or clichés
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Use food, music, and communal energy as cultural connectors
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Grow attendance organically and sustainably
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Establish a recognisable visual identity rooted in Latin America’s diversity
The event starts softly: a “reset brunch” where people can decompress after the weekend or fuel up for the week ahead. As the afternoon unfolds, music takes over—Latin house, disco, and those familiar rhythms that immediately loosen shoulders.
The intention wasn’t nightlife.
It was home, but public.
Brand & Visual Identity
To avoid the tired tropes often attached to Latin culture in Europe, I commissioned two Brazilian creatives who live this culture daily:-
Peu Lima (art director, Rio de Janeiro)
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Flora Próspero (illustrator)
They built the visual identity around the Wiphala flag, a symbol of Indigenous resilience across the continent. By blending its vibrant blocks with shapes inspired by different Latin American flags, they created a new set of “non-flags”: vivid, abstract, and proudly uncolonised.
Promotional materials extend this idea—pairing cultural symbols from different countries to highlight how varied and interconnected Latin identity really is.
Content & Engagement
Social content mixes community moments, food stories, and playful design assets. Nothing overly polished. Just honest, colourful, and culturally grounded.Results & Impact
One year in, Club Bodega has:-
Developed a consistent monthly audience
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Built a recognisable brand identity that resonates with the community
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Received praise for its ambience, food, and visual storytelling
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Grown organically through word of mouth and social discovery
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Established itself as a safe, intergenerational, inter-Latin space in SE London
Most importantly, it created what people kept saying they were missing: a genuine Latinx atmosphere that doesn’t flatten their identity into a single cliché.