The future of Sydney’s Trough X, an LGBTQIA+ dance and cruise club planned for Surry Hills, hangs in the balance as the owner struggles to secure the necessary financial backing to lock in the lease.
Despite efforts by Melbourne-based Trough founder Nik Dimopoulos, the ambitious plan to establish the new sex-on-premises space in Sydney’s queer community may not come to fruition unless a financial lifeline is secured soon.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Dimopoulos appealed to Trough’s supporters, revealing that the venue — originally slated to open in time for this year’s Mardi Gras but still under construction — risks being taken over by a non-LGBTQIA+ operator unless urgent financial investments are secured.
Dimopoulos has been running sex-positive Trough events in Melbourne and London for several years and previously expressed a desire to model his Sydney venue after Berlin nightclubs with dark rooms for sex.
He acquired the Sydney venue in November last year and has been working to bring it to life since, but faced delays in construction due to financial challenges.
However, recent developments suggest that time is running out for the project.
In Wednesday’s Instagram post, Dimopoulos emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating that a new operator was poised to take over the lease unless Trough could find investors quickly.
“In the past two weeks, we’ve faced an alarming development,” he said, referring to an unnamed non-LGBTQIA+ operator poised to take over the lease if Trough doesn’t act swiftly.
“Despite our efforts to find financial support through partnerships with other promoters, LGBTQIA+ investors, and crowd-funding initiatives, we have unfortunately not reached our goal.”
In July this year, Dimopoulos told Gay Sydney News that he would launch a GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign for Trough, which would offer incentives for contributors.
However, this never eventuated, with Dimopoulos saying on Wednesday that it was “still in development”.
The reason for the delay in launching the fundraising campaign was due to finalising its details and wanting to ensure it was “launched properly to have the greatest impact”, he said.
But Trough is now shifting its strategy away from crowd-funding as the primary source of financial support, he said, with the focus now on finding long-term partners who can help sustain the venue. The terms could include equity stakes or other forms of financial engagement, depending on the partnership, he said.
“Crowd-funding can provide immediate assistance, but we need more stable, ongoing commitments from investors to ensure the venue’s future,” Dimopoulos said.
Asked to disclose how much financial assistance he needed, he said he didn’t want to disclose a figure.
Multiple sources close to the venue, speaking anonymously due to commercial sensitivity, told Gay Sydney News that two operators had expressed interest in taking over the Trough building.
The sources said one of the operators plans to run it as a mixed swingers’ club with occasional gay events, while the other runs an existing straight gentleman’s club in Sydney. The operator looking to run it as a mixed swingers’ club is the one most likely to secure the venue if Trough fails to obtain urgent funding, the sources said.
Due to ongoing discussions, Dimopoulos told Gay Sydney News he could not disclose the name of the non-LGBTQIA+ operator looking to take over the lease.
“However, it’s important to note that the venue’s character may change, which is one reason we’re so eager to secure it for the LGBTQIA+ community,” he said.
One of the reasons Trough faces losing its venue is because it has not consistently paid its rent, sources close to the venue said. Dimopoulos acknowledged that Trough had “managed to make partial payments toward the rent, but we’re still working on securing financial backing to maintain the lease consistently”.
“It’s a work in progress, and we’re optimistic that with the right partners, we can stabilise the financial side.”
A representative for the owner of the Trough building was contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication. (After publication, the owner responded, saying it had issued a 30-day notice to Tough X to resolve outstanding financial issues or face the termination of its lease).
Investment difficulties
Dimopoulos said Trough had faced difficulties in attracting investors who understand the cultural significance of a space like Trough and are willing to take on the financial risks involved.
“Securing financial support from the LGBTQIA+ community and potential investors has been challenging primarily due to post-COVID economic constraints, changes in the nightlife landscape, and a shift in priorities for many community members,” Dimopoulos said.
“Finding investors who understand the cultural significance of such a venue has been tough, as the financial returns might not align with traditional investment goals.”
Complicating matters further, he said, is a small but vocal conservative faction within the LGBTQIA+ community in Sydney who don’t support Trough X’s vision for a progressive, sex-positive space.
“It is common knowledge that there is a small but vocal conservative presence in Sydney, even among the LGBTQIA+ community, that is less than sex-positive,” he said.
“This nuance is commonly known to exist in Sydney and stems more from a lack of cultural exposure and opinion than an organised movement.
“These voices favour more conservative or mainstream expressions of LGBTQIA+ identity, which has added complexity to securing widespread support for the venue.”
A lack of political support had also hindered progress on projects like his, Dimopoulos said, pointing to conservative influences in NSW, including the Christian Democratic presence, which he claimed had stifled progressive efforts in sex-positive spaces.
“The impacts of COVID disruptions have made it even harder for venues like ours to thrive, as political and financial priorities have shifted away from supporting such spaces,” he said.
Despite these obstacles, Dimopoulos remains optimistic. But the clock is ticking.
With another operator ready to step in and potentially transform the venue into something far removed from its original intent, the window to support the project is rapidly closing.
For those interested in stepping in as investors or partners, Trough is urging direct contact through queeries@trough.events to explore possibilities.
Gay Sydney News editor