A beloved Sydney pub has announced it will shut its doors forever in another blow to the city’s nightlife.
The Oxford Tavern in Petersham, a popular venue in Sydney’s inner west well-known for its nightlife and beer garden, will close for good this Sunday.
Odd Culture Group acquired the venue in 2019 before relaunching the refurbished pub less than a year later.
On Thursday, it announced April 2 would be the venue’s last day.
The company told Daily Mail Australia it came to the difficult decision of not renewing the venue’s lease because it was instead turning its focus towards an upcoming expansion into Victoria.
Beloved Sydney pub, the Oxford Tavern, announced it will shut its doors forever this weekend after its owners chose not to renew the lease in yet another blow to the city’s night life (pictured: Oxford Tavern)
The Oxford Tavern has a long and rich history that began with topless barmaids and exotic strippers before undergoing a makeover and becoming an institution for both Petersham locals and the queer community.
It was also one of the few pubs where there was not a single poker machine on the premises.
Venues are increasingly beginning to dump the machines despite the fact they subsidise the price of food and drink.
In the most recently available statistics, Australians lost more than $11.4billion on poker machines in a year, according to Melbourne’s Monash University.
In a statement, Oxford Tavern said the venue was a ‘saving grace’ during Covid lockdowns but it was time to ‘end this chapter’.
‘This pub has always held a special place in our heart—a space for our people to march to the beat of their own drum, and create the wild and wonderful, queer-coloured programming that resonated with the Inner West,’ the statement read.
‘We’re proud of everything we’ve put into the Tav. It’s been a wild ride, but the time has come to end this chapter.
The Oxford Tavern has a long rich history that stemmed from topless barmaids and exotic strippers before undergoing a makeover and becoming somewhat of an institution for both Petersham locals and the queer community
‘This coming Sunday, 2 April, will be our final day of trade before handing over the reins.
‘For a bit of fun, we’ll be running out the kegs, spirits, and other good stuff, in a glorious toast to a glorious pub. We would love to see everyone here for a final drink.’
Odd Culture Group CEO James Thorpe previously said the venue was one he was a regular at when he was younger and had always wanted to own.
The company will now turn its attention to Melbourne, with its first venue to open in May, in what Mr Thorpe said would be a unique iteration of its Newtown venue.
Oxford Tavern’s closure is yet another hit to Sydney’s nightlife, following multiple late-night hotspots closing down.
The popular venues closure comes days after HiWay Enmore, a popular spot for local artists, announced they were shutting down effective immediately.
The live music bar in the city’s inner-west fell into liquidation owing more than $110,000 to Revenue NSW from a Covid-19 support loan.
Heralded as the ‘premium venue’ for up and coming artists, the bar joins the famed Frankies Pizza as one of many beloved music venues to have recently shut down.
The company Odd Culture Group told Daily Mail Australia it came to the difficult decision to not renew the venue’s lease with its focus instead on an upcoming expansion into Victoria
According to data from Liquor and Gambling NSW, just 133 live music venues are still operating across the state.
A 2018 NSW parliamentary enquiry revealed that 176 venues had closed in the four years prior.
The increasing number of venues forced to close their doors was exacerbated by Covid lockdowns that many, such as Hiway, never recovered from.
In addition to around $110,000 the venue still owes from Covid loans, the Australian Taxation Office is owed a further $24,000 by the inner-city bar.
‘It never bounced back properly and the director who was the biggest creditor was not satisfied to endlessly put more money in so has decided to close it,’ Steven Kugel, Hiway’s appointed liquidator, said.
The NSW Labor Party announced in February that if elected, they would introduce Sound NSW – akin to Screen NSW – as well as a myriad of protections and funds to boost the state’s live music scene.
Labor has promises to create a 10-year plan to bolster the industry alongside $100million of funding and laws that would extend trading hours, lower licensing fees and protects venues from noise complaints.
