Cube, one of Canberra’s oldest nightclubs and its only LGBTIQA+ venue is closing its doors after more than two decades.
The owners have blamed rising costs, declining drink sales and the Canberra light rail works as the reasons behind the closure which will come at the end of 2025.
Venue manager and drag queen Seth Byrnes told The Canberra Times after 20 years, the club had to “have a point” when it would close.
“It’s stuff out of our control, cost-of-living crisis, the work’s going on in the light rail, it’s a combination of things,” he said.
The ACT’s Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who is gay himself, was optimistic that other spaces would emerge for the local LGBTIQA+ community.
“It is important to remember that this is not the first time a LGBTIQ+ venue has closed in Canberra,” Barr told the local newspaper, noting that Canberra has had succession of venues over the decades.
Cube is not the only LGBTIQA+ venue to disappear in recent times, Melbourne’s Beans Bar which catered to lesbians, the neuro-divergent community, transgender and non-binary people closed it’s doors in March.
The Melbourne venue offered a mix of high energy experiences mixed with more somber events such as book clubs, poetry readings and trivia nights.
Across the world LGBTQA+ venues are struggling to survive. In January the legendary G-A-Y bar in London’s Soho went up for sale, with owner Jeremy Joseph saying the area had lost it’s vibrancy.
Singapore lost two of its newer small bars that catered to the queer community in January. With homosexuality only recently decriminalised in the island state a number of gay venues had recently popped up, but some have been very short lived.
While in Wisconsin, their oldest gay bar This Is It which was co-owned by drag star Trixie Mattel suddenly closed its doors in March, after over 56 years of operation.
While in New York the long running Barracuda Lounge in Chelsea closed its doors this March after three decades of being a space that launched new drag talent.
Over a decade ago one of NYC’s most famous gay venue’s Splash shut up shop saying that the LGBTIQA+ community had moved out of the Chelsea area, and the building of new apartment blocks adjacent to the venue would have made their operations difficult. The club had been described by many as the best LGBTIQA+ venue in the world.
In his book Long Live Queer Nightlife: How the Closing of Gay Bars Sparked a Revolution author Amin Ghaziani highlights that while many traditional bars and nightclubs are shutting down, often they’re being replaced by other options. He notes in London’s there’s been a growing number of underground themed club nights, and other entertainment options targeting queer communities.
Perth’s legendary gay venue this week began their 50th birthday celebrations, revealing their gold anniversary celebrations.
Taking some inspiration from 80’s new romantic band Spandau Ballet, the venue’s upcoming party celebrations have been tagged ‘Gold, Always believe in your soul’.
