Cube Nightclub won’t be going quietly into that good night with big plans for Canberrans to farewell the queer institution. Photo: Facebook.
Loud, proud and together: that’s been the philosophy of Cube Nightclub from the beginning, and that’s the theme of its final chapter.
The Canberra institution has been open for two decades, but 2025 has proven to be its final act.
“The final season of Cube is here. After 20 unforgettable years, Cube Nightclub will be closing its doors at the end of this year,” the club announced in a social media post.
“This isn’t just a farewell to a venue, it’s the close of an era that helped define Canberra’s nightlife and LGBTQIA+ culture.
“For over two decades, Cube has been more than a club; it’s been a sanctuary, a celebration, and a second home. From the artists to the staff, the drag royalty to the DJs, the lovers, the misfits, the first-timers and the faithful regulars—every one of you shaped what Cube became. Together, we created something unforgettable.”
Co-owner Ben Amando said the decision to close Cube’s doors hadn’t been made lightly, given the institution’s status as a “cornerstone” both for Canberra’s queer community and the city in general.
But current cost-of-living pressures, industry trends and business in Canberra meant operating was no longer viable.
“It’s not like it’s gone really bad or really good, it’s just gone stagnant, and we don’t want it to get to a point where it gets really bad, where we end Cube on a bad note,” he said.
“So I think finishing the whole brand and what Cube means and everything on a really nice high and having up to six months more to enjoy the space is really important, one that’s given people a home.”
Mr Amando said that there needed to be more flexibility, both from the hospitality industry and government, to adapt to how nightlife in the city was changing.
While the ACT Government announced a suite of measures to support Canberra’s night-time economy, they were mainly aimed at smaller venues.
As a 300-cap establishment, Mr Amando said larger venues were left behind.
“All the fees keep increasing, all the insurances are going up tenfold each year and, as a venue, if people are spending less out and fees are going up, it gets to a point where you’re like ‘something’s gotta give’,” he said.
“We pay probably 100 times more than most venues for our liquor license, our insurance, and we’re only open 10 hours max a week.”
Being a nightclub also means Cube lacks the flexibility to provide other offerings during the day.
“We’re not going to have a café in here or have a daytime pub. We’re the most isolated venue as we can only open two days a week at only a full rate of four hours a night. We pay the most fees for the least amount of time trading,” Mr Amando said.
“Things have changed and maybe things can be adjusted in the future, cause otherwise there’s not going to be much nightlife [left].”
The outpouring of love and support for the venue, as well as sadness over its closure, has been constant.
“Oh no! So sad! Cube was the first gay bar I ever went to, and in a roundabout way, it helped me out of the closet. Party nights at Cube helped me find my way to the amazing LGBTIQ+ community in New York City, where I now live,” one person posted in response to the news.
“Cube was my first gay club when I was a wee child lol since moving to Queensland I’ve been back a couple of times to perform and always felt like coming home,” wrote a second.
A third thanked the team for running such an “awesome venue”.
“Even if we weren’t going to Cube when heading out on a Saturday night, we ended up at Cube anyway!”
There’s no set closing date yet, but it will be towards the end of the year.
Which means people have time to send off the Cube in style.
Mr Amando said there was a stacked lineup of DJs, drag performers and creators scheduled for the months ahead.
“We’ll have artists who have multimillion plays on Spotify, we’ll have drags who’ve won RuPaul’s Drag Race, we’ll have members of the community and DJs who haven’t played here for 10 years come back, we’ll have old staff members come in. It’ll be awesome,” he said.
“This period is celebrating Cube for what it’s been … all the great things that have existed here.”
“It’s been such a special place … we changed the climate of how Canberrans go out and feel safe and be themselves. It will be really sad to close that chapter and have this space close for regular Canberrans, but maybe one day there will be somewhere in the future to accommodate that.”
