Yep, you read that right – legendary LGBTI+ nightclub Midnight Shift is back, but she’s had a face lift, name change and walks to an (almost) entirely new beat.
Late 2017 saw the death of an icon on Sydney’s famous Oxford street, when Midnight Shift closed its doors for the very last time, falling victim to Sydney’s controversial lockout laws. As the LBGTI+ party community mourned, Universal Hotels seized the opportunity, snatching up the club for a reportedly casual 12 million bucks. Friends of the LGBTI+ community, and a major player on the Oxford street strip, Universal Hotels also own the likes of The Oxford Hotel, Brighton Hotel and Kinselas.
After community consult, the nightclub renamed to Universal on August 30. The club has a slightly new direction, rather than describing themselves as a ‘gay club’, they’re describing themselves as a ‘safe place for all humans to connect’. Being located smack-bang in the middle of the Oxford street precinct, we’re going to give it a red-hot guess that the gays will probably make up a large portion of their clientele…which we’re definitely not complaining about!
Officially opening on September 28, with three huge events, we decided to send in a couple of our writers undercover to experience Sunday night’s Universal X Heaps Gay Rendezvous party. The verdict? W E L O V E.
The Heaps Gay Rendezvous party was the official closing event of the Sydney Fringe Festival, and the perfect way to showcase the venue. The staff are honestly the bomb.com, having a laugh and a dance whilst serving out roughly 200 drinks/minute. The vibe was second to none, the venue spread over two levels, with non-stop bangers all night long. Heaps Gay definitely know what’s what when it comes to throwing parties, and Universal knows what’s what when hosting ’em.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, we highly recommend!
