Kings Cross queer institution Grove Bar is closing for good this Friday in another blow for Sydney\u2019s LGBTQIA+ nightlife.<\/p>\n
The Darlinghurst Road venue opened in late 2021 just across from the train station and found its feet as the neighbourhood gay bar for the Cross when drag shows proved a hit with patrons.<\/p>\n
The bar did roaring trade during Sydney WorldPride.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were so busy it was exhausting during WorldPride, but we were also doing backflips because we were so happy to see things that busy,\u201d Grove Bar<\/a> co-owner Beks told QNews in 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, the venue\u2019s owners recently posted on social media that this Friday, August 7, will be its last hurrah, when it closes at midnight \u201cor until the booze runs out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been working tirelessly for the last five years to create a space where everybody feels welcome and at home when they walk through our doors, and we love every single person who made that possible,\u201d the Grove Bar team explained in a statement on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery drag artist, every performer, every DJ and every single community member has made Grove something we will be proud of forever.<\/p>\n Sydney\u2019s shrinking queer nightlife<\/p>\n \u201cBut our time is up, and we are exhausted. Small business alone is hard in Sydney, but a queer hospitality small business in today\u2019s Kings Cross is another level.<\/p>\n \u201cThat being said, Grove has been the most beautiful experience for all of us, and that is thanks to every one of you.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease continue to support small business and queer art\/spaces. We love you all so much, Luke, Beks & Lil.\u201d<\/p>\n Grove Bar will then open one last time on Wednesday, August 12, from 2 pm to 6 pm so that the contents of the bar can be sold, with almost everything up for sale including furniture, glassware, and board games.<\/p>\n Oxford Street institution Stonewall Hotel closed in March this year, but its spirit lives on at sister venue Stonewall Newtown<\/a> in the old Kuteto\u2019s bar building on King Street.<\/p>\n Redfern\u2019s The Bearded Tit closed its doors<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n Taylor Square\u2019s ARQ nightclub briefly went straight when it changed hands in 2025 and was rebranded as Aura.<\/p>\n However, it went back to its old ARQ branding under a new management team in May this year after Aura\u2019s owners entered into administration.<\/p>\n For the latest LGBTQIA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy\u00a0news,<\/a>\u00a0entertainment,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0community stories<\/a>\u00a0in Australia, visit\u00a0qnews.com.au<\/a>. Find us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t\t\t