The Court renovations are going full steam ahead. The concrete slab has been poured for the front bar and the new openings for the concertina windows have been cut out. The Director of the Court Hotel, Bree Maddox, has her fingers crossed to have everything ready by mid-September for the Pride Festival Launch.
The Court’s renovations are all about choice, Bree told OUTinPerth. ‘You look at the straight community and they have a lot of choice. If they want to go to a lounge bar, they have that choice. If they want to go to a nightclub, they have that choice. If they want to go see jazz, they have that choice. Our community doesn’t have that choice, they have a nightclub and a hotel. Our venue is large enough to provide that choice in different zones. So, if we can do that and give the community choice, we are going to do that.’
Lately, the masses seem to be agreeing and anyone who has been to the Court in recent weeks can attest to the diverse crowds that have been queuing up to get in. ‘We can’t believe the crowds we are drawing. We actually had to fence off a 144 square meters in the overflow which we had licensed because we didn’t like the fact that there was a line of 100 or 200 people out our door.’
Pride Co-president Dean Cahill has complimented the Court Hotel, saying that they have been a key supporter of the Pride Festival. According to Dean, ‘The Court has supported Pride in more ways than one. Last year they covered half the costs of the festival launch; they provided us with bars for Fairday; they provided us with storage facilities for the alcohol for Fairday; they have done all the alcohol ordering for us. Basically, they do a lot of work for us and you can’t put a value on it. This year Bree and her team have been bloody fantastic. She has organized discounted call rooms and discounted bars through her contacts. So, she is out there working and saving Pride money. Pride WA is also working with the Court Hotel for an after Fairday party.’
