The queer events company behind DéjàVu at Universal Sydney is reclaiming Friday nights at the venue’s upstairs superclub, introducing a $10 cover charge while keeping the Sanctuary brand and its signature singalong club-pop music.
GAYM Entertainment, which previously ran FAME Fridays at Universal, is set to take over the Oxford Street venue’s Friday entertainment lineup from this week while continuing to run DéjàVu on Saturdays. The same company is also behind Horrorween Festival, Morning Glory, Shiprekt, and FINALE during Mardi Gras.

“Our goal is to keep it [Sanctuary] fresh, fun and exciting,” GAYM Entertainment owner Jesse Lawson told Gay Sydney News on Tuesday. The Friday night music policy – focusing on vocal-heavy club and pop tracks – will remain unchanged.
As part of the revamp, there will be a stronger emphasis on production values, new shows, and the overall presentation of the night. “Queer spaces are sacred and we can’t wait to see what the (fresh, fun & fabulous) future holds,” Lawson said.
Universal Sydney venue manager Johnny Smith explained that while Sanctuary will now have a $10 cover charge, patrons arriving before 11pm will receive a complimentary drink.
Drag queens and kings will receive free entry all night long.
Smith said the cover charge would help Universal reinvest in Sanctuary’s shows, production values, performers, and DJs and help “take Sanctuary and the Sydney club scene to the next level, and more importantly keep our entertainers on stage where they belong!”
“GAYM’s wealth of knowledge and experience in the Sydney party scene speaks for itself, and when the opportunity arose to be able to do more together we jumped at the opportunity,” Smith said.
Sanctuary is not alone in introducing entry fees. Across the road, Palms has charged $5 on Fridays and $15 on Saturdays since November, with Friday’s entry including a cloakroom check-in and Saturday’s offering a cloakroom service plus a $10 bar credit.
Other popular queer club nights on Oxford Street, such as Poof Doof at Arq and DéjàVu at Universal, also attract fees ranging from $25 to $30.
Banana Bar launches
The announcement about Sanctuary Fridays coincides with the opening of Universal’s new Banana Bar – a 70s-inspired cocktail lounge next door to the venue’s main bar. The space replaces Universal’s 20 pokie machines, which have been relocated to another room.
Universal’s Smith described Banana Bar as an upmarket venue focused on comfort.
The middle of the room features two separated high tables with bar stools either side while the left of the room as you enter features upholstered banquette seating along the wall that extends almost the entire length of the cocktal lounge, featuring cushions, round tables and table lamps. For those facing their friends sitting along the wall on the left, they too get the comfort treatment with upholstered backless benches.
On the right side of the room it’s a similar story, with upholstered banquette seating and cushions along the wall but short, brown leather backless bar stools for those facing their friends along the wall.
“It’s definitely a different feel to what we’re used to,” Smith said. “It’s more of a cocktail feel, it’s somewhere you go to sit down relax and get away from the action.
“Something that Universal has always done really well is the clubs and the parties and the big nights out, but we wanted something that could really be somewhere you could step away from that and relax, which is something I prefer to do.”
When we visited for a media preview on Monday, the bar was dimly lit, with music playing at a neurodivergent-friendly level that was also cohesive with being able to hold conversations. However, someone did get a hold of the volume on the night for a moment and got a bit trigger happy before it was turned back down.
Operating from 10am till late, seven days a week, Banana Bar will feature five signature cocktails, an extensive drinks selection, and a small bites food menu. At the media preview, Gay Sydney News purchased the Dolce & Banana cocktail, priced at $25.38 including transaction fees (it wasn’t covered by the venue’s bar tab).
“We’ve got five new hero cocktails,” Smith said. “They are ’70s-inspired. Each of them have something special about them, something theatrical. We love theatrics, whether that’s a smoke bubble, whether that’s glitter, whether that is, you know, playing with candy. They’re really, really playful.”
The venue has partnered with next-door restaurant Satang Thai to offer a light food menu designed around “immersive flavour profiles”.
“They are doing a small bites menu. So we don’t want something too heavy. It’s [Banana Bar], not a restaurant. It is somewhere you can sit down and have something quick to bite, and everything is about really immersive flavour profiles.”
The launch of Banana Bar will also impact Universal’s main bar opening hours, which are expected to shift to 9pm instead of the current 5pm. Exact hours are yet to be confirmed.
The changes at Universal Sydney come as its parent company, Universal Group, continues to dominate Sydney’s queer nightlife scene. The company owns Oxford Hotel, The Imperial Erskineville, and Newtown Hotel, which it recently put on the market. It also owns The Riley, which isn’t seen as queer as the others.
Bookings for Banana Bar are open now on a new “streamlined” booking system at universal.sydney.
Gay Sydney News editor