Two Gay Venues To Close

Local News, By Joal, 23rd September, 2009

Two of Sydney’s best known gay venues look set to close – one permanently, and the other for much needed renovations.

It seems the rumours were true. According to reports in today’s Sydney Star Observer, the upstairs club at The Midnight Shift will close its doors after the October long weekend, as will The Flinders Hotel.

While the Shift will be closing for a short period to renovate its upstairs club into a bar area, Flinders’ owner, Sue Cameron, will be selling the pub to a group of buyers and cannot guarantee it will remain a gay venue when reopened.

Flinder’s manager, Chris Milne, told the Star that the clientele of the newly renovated pub is up in the air, and he, as well as all other staff are currently out of the job.

Popular nights held at the Flinders, including Harbour City Bear parties on Friday and Sunday nights, have been warned about the closure and are moving on to other venues. Harbour City Bears were kicked out of The Oxford when that venue underwent renovations and president Jonny Bastin says the group is excited to be heading back there for their Friday night party.

“We’ve made it very clear in our discussions with the Oxford that if Bears were to go back there, we want to make sure the Bears get a high profile – we’re on the ground floor, we don’t want to be shoved in the downstairs or upstairs bar,” Bastin told the Star.

The upstairs club at The Midnight Shift will also be having a temporary hiatus from dance beats and drag performance. “I think Sydney, and around the world, clubs aren’t doing as well as they have done. I suppose it’s got to do with the internet and different things that people do,” Shift owner Tim Berry told the Star about transforming upstairs from club to bar.

“We’re putting new bars in and ripping carpets up and it’ll be a clean different look. Not so much a clubby look,” says Berry.

Both The Flinders and upstairs Midnight Shift will be open over the October long weekend. The Shift will also be holding The Last Dance, a non-stop 12 hour goodbye to the club from 8pm, Sunday, October 4.