Gay clubbg scene of Sydney: Allks' oral history

Contents:

• GAY SNAS SYDNEY
• THE 5 BEST SYDNEY GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SYDNEY
• GAY SYDNEY: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, BARET AND CULTURE
• SYDNEY GAY CLUBS
• GAY SYDNEY · CY GUI
• SYDNEY GAY MAP

GAY SNAS SYDNEY

While Oxford Street is still the se of many of the longt-nng gay clubs Sydney, the fun isn’t relegated to Darlghurst alone.

THE 5 BEST SYDNEY GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SYDNEY

If you’re keen to really make a night of , keep an eye on the lik of Heaps Gay, Poof Doof, Hoe of Mce, Honcho Disko and Birdge (as well as the social media-elive Kooky) to fd out when their next soiree start planng your next night out, read on for our gui to some of Sydney’s favoure gay clubs, pubs and bars. Chg-a-lgsSure, ’s not officially a gay bar, but Chg-a-lgs draws a pendably queer crowd.

The ColombianOpen 9am ‘til 6am every day — y, you read that right — this sprawlg Oxford St hnt n always be unted on for a tipple the early 117-125 Oxford St, DarlghurstYou n fd all the tails for this year's Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras here.

Photograph: Anna Kucera | Miss 3D and Etcetera Etcetera at the Imperial Hotel, ErskevilleThe bt gay and queer pubs, bars and clubs SydneyHead to one of the popular LGBTQ+ spac for a good timeFrom a historil drag palace to subterranean digs – we've got you vered for where to go for a gay old time. If you're after some outdoor fun, have a look through our list of gay-iendly beach.

GAY SYDNEY: A GUI TO CLUBS, BARS, BARET AND CULTURE

The upstairs night club, formerly known as the stalwart Midnight Shift, transforms to a sparklg pop-up dner theatre most weekends before the dancefloor heats up wh the biggt dance parti om GAYM Entertament.The Berford HotelIn a former life the Bero was a famo gay bar, and the gentlemen of Darlghurst are still well-reprented the crowd (pecially on Sunday nights). The basement of this inic gay bar, known as Unrgound, is a boutique bar and club.

SYDNEY GAY CLUBS

This former bank is one of Oxford Street’s more revered and historic gay bars. Tripadvisor performs checks on had a nice time at the gay bar here although everythg was jt a ltle sticky on the night we went.

Meanwhile, the troductn of laws that rtrict late-night socialisg central Sydney’s party preccts has severely damaged Oxford Street, the cy’s tradnal gay strip. And, while Oxford Street is fely hurtg, a handful of Sydney’s “tradnal” queer venu ntue to thrive there spe of the challengg and mixedTokyo Sg Song basement Patrick Abboud, a documentary filmmaker and televisn prenter who -hosts and produc for the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi GrasThe biggt challenge for visors who want to explore Sydney’s LGBTQI scene is that only the old, mastream optns tend to be listed travel guis.

On Sundays plays crowd-pleasg hoe, electro and two most mastream venu for gay guys are Stonewall and Arq. Lbian-iendlyThe Heaps Gay monthly rovg queer Geia Verkuylen, strategy and partnerships manager at Archer magaze, the Atralian journal of sexual diversyLbian-foced venu n be hard to fd Sydney. It’s also where the rovg queer party Heaps Gay has been held for the past uple of months.

GAY SYDNEY · CY GUI

Heaps Gay is a massive event that draws queer folk of all ag, sexuali and genrs. To fd out what is gog on across Sydney regards to arts events and queer culture, keep an ear out for the rad programm Canvas (on FBi), and Gay Panic and So Hot Right Now (both on 2SER).

Thk 1970s performance art meets homoerotic dience teractn, wh a sprklg of straight at boys who’ve stumbled downstairs om the pub above.

The productn of Angels Ameri 2014 was heart-punchgly good, and I re-staged my turbo-gay one-man show, Blue Wizard, there durg Mardi Gras this year – so has fely supported this Wizard was part of the Mardi Gras Ftival, which ns the weeks leadg up to the para March. From drag palac at the Gay Goln Mile to queer-ky digs, here are 10 bars and clubs Sydney that will wele you wh a warm embrace:UniversalThe Beard TSecret GarnChg-a-lgsThe ImperialPalmsStonewall HotelThe ColombianThe Berford HotelRed Rattler1. More like Wedn-gay when you e for happy hour and smell the ros at Secret Garn.

SYDNEY GAY MAP

It may not officially be a gay bar, but Chg-a-lgs wel everyone wh their lo-fi drag shows and queer drawg nights.

As a treasure trove of live performanc, drag and beret shows, DJs and parti hosted by groups such as Honcho Disko, Canned F and Heaps Gay, the Imperial Erskeville is the perfect spot for a good feed and boogie. Named after the Stonewall Rts of 1969, the Stonewall Hotel is the beatg heart of Gay Liberatn Sydney. It’s every queer’s favoure gay club and is home to the biggt night-outs Harbour Cy.

Set a former bank, this inic Goln Mile hnt is a revered gay stutn. Thu, Aug 3 · 08:00 UTCQueer Social Club - Sydney MEETUPGroup name:Queer Social Club Sydney • Sydney, AUNew GroupGroup name:Queer Social Club SydneySydney, AUNew GroupTue, Aug 8 · 09:30 UTCQueer Tango Improver Class /Gay Tango Class / Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUTue, Aug 1 · 08:30 UTCQueer Tango Begner Class/Gay Tango Class/ Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUTue, Aug 1 · 09:30 UTCQueer Tango Improver Class /Gay Tango Class / Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUTue, Aug 8 · 08:30 UTCQueer Tango Begner Class/Gay Tango Class/ Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUTue, Aug 15 · 08:30 UTCQueer Tango Begner Class/Gay Tango Class/ Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUTue, Aug 15 · 09:30 UTCQueer Tango Improver Class /Gay Tango Class / Gay Partner Dancg Group name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner Dancg • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer Tango Class/Gay Tango/ Same Sex Partner DancgSydney, AUFri, Aug 11 · 09:30 UTCYoung'uns Gay Gals & Queer/NB Pals Friday Night Dner and Drks at The UnnGroup name:The Sydney Gay Gals • Sydney, AUGroup name:The Sydney Gay GalsSydney, AUThu, Aug 24 · 08:30 UTCQueer Screen Film; Lie Wh MeGroup name:Fabulo Gay Super Men Over 40+ Sydney and NSW • Sydney, AUGroup name:Fabulo Gay Super Men Over 40+ Sydney and NSWSydney, AUFri, Aug 4 · 08:00 UTCACON Gam Night - Augt 2023 - All Wele. Walist to RSVPGroup name:Middle Eastern and South Asian Gay/Bi Men • Sydney, AUGroup name:Middle Eastern and South Asian Gay/Bi MenSydney, AUOnle EventFri, Aug 11 · 23:00 UTCLbian Datg & Love for HSPs (And Those Who Love Them) Masterclass + WorkshopGroup name:Consc Lbian - Queer Datg and Love Sydney • Sydney, AUGroup name:Consc Lbian - Queer Datg and Love SydneySydney, AUOnle EventTue, Aug 15 · 24:00 UTCReverg From Relig Trma wh Mary ClarkGroup name:Consc Lbian - Queer Datg and Love Sydney • Sydney, AUGroup name:Consc Lbian - Queer Datg and Love SydneySydney, AUThu, Aug 10 · 08:30 UTCDner at ExotikGroup name:Queer Lbians • Sydney, AUGroup name:Queer LbiansSydney, AUSat, Aug 12 · 24:00 UTCWter Collage Makg: Arts, Crafts & CommunyGroup name:Sydney Bi+ Social Club • Sydney, AUGroup name:Sydney Bi+ Social ClubSydney, AUTue, Aug 8 · 08:00 UTCTuday Badmton - 4 Courts, 2 HoursGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton) • Sydney, AUGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton)Sydney, AUTue, Aug 1 · 08:00 UTCTuday Badmton - 4 Courts, 2 HoursGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton) • Sydney, AUGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton)Sydney, AUTue, Aug 15 · 09:00 UTCTuday Badmton - 4 Courts, 2 HoursGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton) • Sydney, AUGroup name:Sydney Hotshots (LGBTQ+ Badmton)Sydney, AUWed, Aug 23 · 09:00 UTCQueer Screen Augt 23 till Sept 3 -watch your ey out!

Group name:The Sydney Gay Gals • Sydney, AUGroup name:The Sydney Gay GalsSydney, AUThu, Aug 3 · 09:00 UTCWeekly Thursday Night Botany Badmton SocialGroup name:Shuttle Swgers Women's Badmton Club for LGBTIQ & Alli • Sydney, AUGroup name:Shuttle Swgers Women's Badmton Club for LGBTIQ & AlliSydney, AUThu, Aug 10 · 09:00 UTCWeekly Thursday Night Botany Badmton SocialGroup name:Shuttle Swgers Women's Badmton Club for LGBTIQ & Alli • Sydney, AUGroup name:Shuttle Swgers Women's Badmton Club for LGBTIQ & AlliSydney, AU. Stephen Allks is arguably the most important DJ that Atralia has ever produced and this year marks his 40th anniversary DJg, cidg wh the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras’ 40th spoke to Stephen Allks 2018 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lbian Mardi Gras as cid wh his 40th anniversary of DJg.

Allks succumbed to the tentacl of Sydney’s unrground gay nightlife the mid-’70s when Oxford Street was still s clubbg fancy. From that life-changg disvery he has gone on to see all - om the bchery of the Dis days, the New Wave of the ‘70s and early ‘80s, the dg heads of the Hoe days the late ‘80s, the cimatn of the Sydney gay muny wh the onslght of AIDS, the ‘90s mastream acceptance and explosn of Mardi Gras, to then takg the scene back unrground the Noughti and beyond.

Stephen Allks© Supplied by Stephen AllksHe has been an eyewns and a major player wh the gay muny om the very begng, when clubbg was a form of self-disvery and a way to create fay around shared nocturnal experienc.

He was ont and centre buildg the scen, which have bee as legendary as the mic he has the turn of the century he beme an award-wng mic producer as [Love] Tattoo and sred worldwi hs wh a tr of classic hoe tracks, which were signed to Pete Tong’s Essential Rerdgs is a Class Act, the same name as one of his many famo wh quill hand, he tak through a journey of some of Sydney’s most inic, sane, artistic and ntroversial gay clubs, parti and nights as only he knows, memory the great Bette Davis once quipped, “Fasten your seatbelts.

It was a mixed crowd but a lot of gay people went but alternative gay. It turned to DCM (another legendary Sydney gay nightclub) the early ‘90s.

“In the early ‘80s, the Exchange (gay nightclub across the road) was huge. But was the Exchange crowd at that pot, so the clon and the other gays who had been at the club earlier had gone to the Midnight Shift (gay club jt up the road) matchbox© Supplied by Stephen Allks“When first opened was the bt Dis ever and by the time I had got there, New Wave had permeated Dis so I would play Donna Summer’s Love Is In Control and follow wh, say, The Members or Na Hagen’s New York New York or Was (Not Was) to Yoko Ono’s Walkg On Th Ice. Sleaze has always been a more sexualised party than Mardi Gras on the gay lendar and was held once a year.