NSW Police strip-searched five people and used sniffer dogs on many more at the official 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party, uncovering illicit drugs including MDMA, GHB and cannabis.
Ben Grubb
Ben Grubb
Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: [email protected]
ARIA Award–winning pop sensation Joanne Accom – best known simply as Joanne – is set to take over upstairs at the Beresford Hotel on Sunday, April 20, bringing serious sparkle to your Easter Sunday.
Aura – the new venue taking over the site of Sydney’s iconic Arq nightclub – will open in June and offer Friday nights to queer promoters, including some of the biggest names in the city’s LGBTQIA+ nightlife scene.
Wollongong's homegrown queer dance party Rush is coming to Sydney for the first time – and its founder promises a night packed with DJs, gogo dancers and drag.
Arq Sydney nightclub’s signage was being taken down on Wednesday night and replaced with a new sign for Aura nightclub, indicating a lease has likely now been signed between the club’s incoming management and the building’s owner.
Oxford Street bar Ching-a-Lings' Thursday night drag competition ClapBack is relaunching this week with a fresh coat of glitter, a bigger stage presence, and a new queen joining the fold.
Australia’s original party queen DJ Havana Brown will headline a one-night-only revival of FAME, the former Friday night mainstay from GAYM Entertainment, this ANZAC Day Eve at Universal Sydney.
The iconic goldfish that once swam above the dancefloor in a recessed wall aquarium on Arq nightclub's top level are now living their best lives in a new home – thanks to a longtime punter and proud queer ally.
Palms nightclub is launching a free mid-week gay meet night set to rival Stonewall’s long-running Malebox.
Poof Doof’s last night at Arq Sydney nightclub will start at 10pm on Saturday night and run until 10am on Sunday in a final goodbye to the venue before the club’s management changes over and it is renamed Aura.