Oxford Street's newest nightclub will be named Carousel after a secret carousel stage was uncovered underneath the existing one.
Recently acquired from the shuttered Nevermind nightclub by 41-year-old SAS*H founder Kerry Wallace, the Carousel venue is being marketed as a club that offers a "bar & ballroom".
Wedged between Noir Sydney and Stonewall Hotel and scheduled to open on Friday, September 1, sources tell Gay Sydney News a number of queer events have been booked.
Wallace told Gay Sydney News that Carousel was on track for the early September grand opening weekend that would include the Sunday being hosted "by a number of the queer community’s top brands".
Sources say Jacqui Cunningham of Birdcage fame is among those who have organised an event there.
Wallace said there would be "more out to the public soon" and confirmed he had booked numerous queer events.
In a public Facebook post, the club's owner revealed that the venue's new name came about after a discovery made during the fit-out. "Once we commenced the renovation period we made some decisions on layout & one of them was that the stage was too big," Wallace said.
"So work started on cutting back the stage to maximise the dance floor area. What we found underneath wasn’t something to be expected & then, by default, history told us exactly what this venue was to be called for its future.
"We revealed a carousel stage from the 1960’s that had been silently living underneath two stages on top of it."
He said one of the stages was from when the club was known as Byblos and the other he believed to be from when it was known as Havana.
"Perfectly intact, 60+ years old, the carousel stage presented itself alongside its little wheels that had spun many times around, our decision was made, Carousel Bar & Ballroom was born."
Based on Facebook posts, SAS*H's general manager Kemba Jessup appears involved in Carousel. Meanwhile, Wallace's business partner and DJ Dan Baartz is listed as the venue's liquor licensee.
Website records point to the website carousel.net.au being associated with Lizzard Lounge Pty Ltd.
Documents lodged with the corporate regulator ASIC show Lizzard Lounge Pty Ltd was registered on February 10 and is solely owned and directed by Wallace.
Located at Level 2 169 Oxford Street, Wallace has secured the venue for the next ten years.
A smoking area will not be available inside Carousel and it is notoriously inaccessible for the disabled due to a long staircase. Wallace told GSN he was "looking into" accessibility.
Amid heightened tensions on Oxford Street concerning the patrons who go to Noir, Wallace has previously told GSN that he planned for the venue to be inclusive for all in the community.
"The venue most certainly won’t be a non-queer venue," he said.
Wallace's SAS*H is an underground house music event.
He also runs the Stanley's on Stanley cocktail bar in Darlinghurst.
Carousel is recruiting for a number of positions. Email [email protected] your resume.
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]
