Frequently Asked Questions

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Turn up at the venue and look out for us — we’re quite hard to miss (lots of beards and checked shirts, we find). There’s often someone in a GCB jersey if your gaydar is truly on the fritz. Failing that, ask a member of staff and they’ll point you in our direction.

One of our hosts will get you checked in (basically check your tickets) and assign you to a lane. Whether you’re attending on your own or in a group, we’ll often switch you around over the two games, as we’ve found this encourages everyone to mix and meet some new people. Depending on which city you’re in, there can be anything between 25 and 60 people in attendance.

We play two 10-frame games, back-to-back. At some venues, you'll have the option to play one or both; some people prefer to just play the first or just the second, depending on their travel arrangements and work obligations the next day.

After the last pin has fallen, we often end up relocating to a nearby bar for a bite to eat and medal-giving, depending on the location. 

Some people drink, some don’t. Some people stay out after the bowling, some don’t. Some obsess over their scores, some don’t. We don’t mind, as long as you come to have fun.

We have a finite number of lanes at each bowling alley, and only so many people can go on each lane. We’re often over-subscribed, so tickets exist to prevent disappointment.

It also means you’ve paid for your bowling in advance, too, so on the night you can just turn up and bowl.

If you can’t get a ticket, you are still welcome to come along and hang out. 

Tickets can be refunded up to seven days prior to the event - just reply to your booking confirmation email and we'll get the ball rolling (badum-tsh).

After that, give us a shout if you can’t make it and we’ll put you in touch with someone from the waiting list so you can sell it to them privately.

Most events sell out, so more often than not, there’s someone who will take your ticket.

If you prefer, you can always sell your tickets to someone else without us getting involved.

Absolutely not. Some of our bowlers are naturally more competitive and play to win, but for most of us, it’s strictly for fun.

If you want to get better, a few of our more experienced bowlers are only too happy to share their tips.

We do insist that the bumpers stay down, though. It increases your chances of doing something hilarious…

Yes! Despite our name, we’re not just for gay men. Anyone is welcome, so long as they’re 18+ and an ally to queer people and identities.

We get a real mix of people coming along, with bowling spanning the generation gap and help people forge friendships with those from different walks of life.

All our venues are wheelchair accessible. If you have any particular requirements, then please get in touch and we’ll do what we can to assist you.

Possibly! We’re always open to expanding to new locations, provided there’s a friendly local bowling alley that shares our values and wants to support our aims.

We’re especially keen to expand to cities with a large queer population, capable of sustaining an event like ours.

We arrange ticket sales, event promotion and venue booking centrally, so you don’t have to worry about that. But one of our challenges is finding local volunteer ‘hosts’ who can commit to ensuring everything goes smoothly on the night. We’d love to be at every event, but it’s just not practical.

Our hosts are the single most important part of what makes our socials a success. 

Interested? Get in touch.

Gutterball is a smaller session that we run in Manchester.

We know that joining a large group, many of whom already know one another, can be intimidating.

Gutterball is a more intimate social that’s designed to be more accessible for those who find large groups a bit ‘too much’; it makes a great introduction to GCB for those who want to try it out before attending a regular social.