On weekends, Kings Cross Hotel feels like the Cross finding its groove again: DJs on the balcony, golden-hour flirts on the rooftop and a downstairs bar that still remembers this strip’s delightfully seedy past. The crowd skews young, mixed and sparkly, with plenty of chosen-family groups starting (or ending) their night here.

The real queer magnet is KX Social Club upstairs, a double-level dance space hosting rotating promoters, underground crews and open-genre parties. Weekly gay night Flash has made the venue its new home, turning Saturdays into a full-blown queer dancefloor ritual with serious sound, lights and a dress code that’s basically “serve a look and don’t be boring.”