Stonewall Newtown

*NO LONGER PART OF PRIDE HOLDINGS* Please be kind, understand this transition would have been a lot of work! The space is incredible, it's obvious that so much love for our community and detail has gone into creating a familiar safe space. With so many memories that fill the space, posters on the walls, Maxi's dining table, stair way of stars paying homage to queens past and present. The chandeliers, and all important Cage! It's quirky, gay, camp and has that feel I remember from Oxford Street. While upstairs is still a work in progress, wouldn't we prefer it to be well done than raw 😝 Our support is what will make this new home look and feel like a new era is here. Let's be part of the future and honour the legacy of the community that makes the original and only Stonewall (in my opinion). See you in the rooftop.

Stonewall Newtown is arguably the only gay bar left in Sydney (as distinguished from just inclusive or gay-friendly). Definitely its the crowd that makes ot the place to be. Despite its small small size (it REALLY needs a dance floor), it really gives vibes of the golden years of The Midnight Shift, including the soundtrack.

Myself and a group of 4 friends attempted to attend stonewall tonight, on a Sunday evening to enjoy a few cocktails before attending a concert. This was our first drink of the night, we were excited to experience a fun & vibrant venue. The door manager, with blonde/grey short hair & a black vest smoking a cigarette whilst on duty, denied our entry, for no reason that we could pinpoint, other than the assumption that our appearance wasn’t to her liking. This was a very disappointing experience to be excluded from such a publicly inclusive venue. Not so inclusive due to this manager on duty. We had planned to enjoy a number of cocktails, which we instead enjoyed 2 doors down at the very accepting & welcoming Corridor.

it’s everything Stonewall wasn’t. Staff were ok, but not the same cheeky bartenders as before. Venue lacked atmosphere and presence and ordering food from another business was never going to work. The only positive was the wall dedicated to Maxi ! You destroyed an iconic venue shame and replaced it with a Temu version, shame on you !

I'm really sad to leave this kind of review for an LGBT establishment but this is inexcusable. Doorman was incredibly rude. Me and my friend were completely sober and he refused my friend but would’ve let me in. I ask why he won’t let him in and he says “if you want to be argumentative you’re not allowed in either”. I reiterate I just want to know why he won’t let him in and he says he’s had too much. I ask him why he thinks that when he’s sober and he just says it’s because we went past 3 minutes earlier (to look at another bar) and came back. He then changes his mind when I say that makes no sense but we were already very put off by the place. Very nasty attitude the entire interaction. Absolutely zero basis for his claim. Have a feeling it was just a way to try and discriminate against certain kinds of people. If we had even one drink I’d probably feel like okay he’s just trying to do his job. But this whole situation felt targeted and hateful.

Undoubtedly Stonewall Darlinghurst closed as it required investment and the owners weren’t willing to do what was required to reenergise that space. An iconic venue gone because of American corporate greed. For months now we have saw the owners advertise their investments of venues in Bali and Newtown while allowing the Darlinghurst venue to go into disrepair to the point a ceiling collapsed. Pride Holdings is a shameful company and do not deserve the support of the community. To date their has been no rationale provided to the community as to why an iconic space has shut, with no attempts to reenergise or reinvigorate that space, while investments in other venues has continued.