Poof Doof Sydney will move to the ARQ nightclub in early September and stay open until 7am after informing Kinselas of its intention to leave the venue, GSN can confirm.
For several weeks now, Gay Sydney News has been made aware that ARQ has been on the hunt for a "fix" to Saturday nights, which have attracted low patronage since the end of Mardi Gras and WorldPride.
Various queer promoters, including Poof Doof, were approached to see if they were interested in collaborating.
On Thursday, Kineslas was informed of Poof Doof Sydney's decision to leave, resulting in leaks about its move to the ARQ nightclub.
Early on Friday morning, the Gay Sydney Australia Instagram account (not related to GSN) was the first to publish a rumour about Poof Doof's move. Now GSN can exclusively confirm the rumour is true.
Starting every Saturday night from September 2, Poof Doof Sydney will take over ARQ's entire venue.
"After the incredible response to our post-Mardi Gras programming, we needed a larger venue," Poof Doof founder Anthony Hocking told GSN.
"There is no doubt that ARQ is the biggest and most iconic venue on Oxford Street, and we are so excited to be filling it with our unique brand of queer fun concentrate every week – we’re not watering things down.
"We’ve got a few tricks (and tunnels) up our sleeve – this will be ARQ as you’ve never seen it before."
The mention of "tunnels" is a veiled reference to a rumoured plan to internally connect the sex-on-premises venue Bodyline to ARQ. Bodyline – which has been shut since the pandemic and was meant to re-open at the same time as ARQ in December – forms part of the same block as the nightclub and is owned by the same owner: Shadd Danesi.
Poof Doof said patrons should expect to see a return of production values including confetti, Co2 canons, pyrotechnics, drag shows and "more to be announced soon".
"The opportunity to combine two of the world’s best known Australian gay club brands is the opportunity of a lifetime not only for the local scene but for Sydney as an international queer party destination," Poof Doof marketing director Nic Holland said.
The move to ARQ will mean Poof Doof will be able to take advantage of the club's rare 24-hour liquor license, which allows it to stay open far longer than many other venues. At present, Poof Doof closes the upstairs Kinselas dancefloor at 3am and stays open until 4am at its middle bar.
Poof Doof's main room will set up shop on the upstairs dancefloor and play house music, while Snap Crackle Pop will be taking up residence on the lower level and will mean it will be "open until the sun rises over the strip and beyond".
Poof Doof's move will mean ARQ's Drag for Dollars competition will cease to run on Saturdays. Whether it will continue on another day at ARQ in the future remains to be seen.
Recently, ARQ stopped hosting queer-orientated nights on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays unless a promoter was running an event. It said it would consider returning these nights in the spring.
Since that decision, several non-queer promoters have been holding events at the venue on Friday nights. More recently, one of those non-queer promoters used the venue as an after-party at 3am on Sunday morning. There's no indication this will occur going into the future.
Poof Doof Sydney operations manager Tosh Lanyon will continue in his role at ARQ. Meanwhile, Kate Monroe has stepped back from running ARQ's marketing and promotions for the time being.
Poof Doof's Hocking thanked Kinselas and its owner Redcape "for their ongoing love and support.”
Poof Doof will remain open through August at Kinselas. The production show "Shego She Better Don’t" featuring Danni Issues, Karna Ford and Ivy Leaguee is on this Saturday.
Another show called "McDoof" featuring Kalin Klein, Dammit Janet and Coco Jumbo will debut August 11; Fag Drag will be on August 19 (patrons are encouraged to dress up in drag); and Hollywould Star from Drag Race will perform on August 26.
Pre-sale tickets for Poof Doof at ARQ are $25. There's no indication yet as to whether cheaper pricing will be available for early entry, as is the case currently at Kinselas.
The full line-up for the grand opening has yet to be announced.
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]
