A York café is launching a brand new monthly LGBTQ+ event.
From this Friday, 6 September, Plush Cafe on Stonegate will be launching ‘The Pink Pony Club’ – a dedicated event night for the queer community.
The new event will take place on the first Friday of every month, and is an opportunity for the LGBTQIA+ community (and allies) to meet up and be themselves in a safe space.
“We wanted to create something that we would enjoy and that we’d want to hang out at,” said Plush Cafe co-owner, Jaydene Halliday.
“We wanted to make that safe space for people to come and have fun.”
Jaydene opened Plush Cafe along with her brother Kyle and sister Keegan at the end of October 2019.
“Plush has always been a safe space for everyone – we have a lot of customers who come to us because of that.
“I don’t think anywhere in York has that dedicated space for people of the community with that fun, night vibe.”
The Pink Pony Club is an evening event, taking place from 6pm to 9:30pm. Entry to the event is free with cakes, cocktails and coffee on offer to buy. The name is inspired by the popular Chappell Roan song of the same name.
Plush Café is known for their Instagrammable interior, and similarly aesthetically pleasing food and drink.
They offer some really “fun and funky” cocktails such as ‘B@rbie B!tch’ complete with raspberry sugar and a lollipop, or their colour-changing Nightshade concoction.
“We wanted it to be somewhere where you can go and meet other people from the community, and then we can grow it from there.”
Jaydene hopes that the monthly evening could host events like drag nights, and encourages performers and artists to get in touch if they’d like to collaborate.
The reaction so far has been “really positive. People seem super interested, so hopefully we’ll get a lot of people coming in and then telling their friends about it.
“As a community we can build it into something that we all want it to be.”
Haley North, supervisor at Plush, added that “before we organised it, there was a lot of customers that were asking for it as well.”
“I think York is missing a proper LGBTQ+ space,” said Jaydene. “In the meantime, we will happily try and create something that people can come along to and have fun.”
“It’s definitely getting better,” said Haley. “There are more spaces, but I think it’s been missing a night or evening event where people can feel safe.”
The Pink Pony Club will take place on the first Friday of every month, with the first event launching this week on Friday 6 September.
To find out more visit Plush Cafe’s Facebook or Instagram page.