Halloween in Sydney

Saturday Is a Showdown

Right, Saturday. You've got to make a call. The Poof Doof lot are taking over the entire ivy complex for their Halloqween Ball, and it's where you'll find half the gays in Sydney in their most ambitious, least practical costumes. It's the biggest, most obvious choice for a reason. Just be ready for that queue — it tends to develop its own personality around midnight. Get there early or late, never on time.

If you want something with a bit more techno muscle, GAYM Entertainment (opens in a new tab) is running HALLOYOU at ARQ (opens in a new tab) with two international headliners. It's scheduled to run for a full eight hours, so you'll want to pace yourself. And for the real heads, House of Mince (opens in a new tab) are doing MINCE XXX. The location is still a secret, which is how you know it'll be good. It's the party for people who care more about the vibe than the costume contest.

And if you don't want a massive rave at all, TRIBE is throwing a 'Dark Ritual' at their own digs, TRIBE at 231 (opens in a new tab), which is a full venue takeover. Or there's always Dance Floor Monsters at Palms (opens in a new tab) for some throwback pop in a room that never changes. Which is its own kind of comfort.

Or if both of those sound a bit much and happy for an inclusive party, S.A.S.H (opens in a new tab) has your Saturday sorted. This is the underground house option, for when you want to actually dance without having to dodge someone's elaborate, borrowed costume all night. It's a proper rave. Thirty dollars gets you in from 10pm until 6am, with S.A.S.H founder Kerry Wallace on the warm-up — and the venue used to be an old cinema, so it still feels like you've stumbled into a secret screening. It'll be dark, it'll get full, and you'll probably stay longer than you planned.

If the choice between a giant ball and a techno marathon isn't really your conflict, there's another path. Club Broadway (opens in a new tab) is running its Halloween special at Universal Nightclub (opens in a new tab). It’s an early start, 4:30pm to 9pm, which makes it a perfect pre-party. Or your entire night, if you're sensible. You'll get all the showtunes you can handle from DJ Dan Murphy, plus some drag, all for five dollars. It's probably the only party this weekend where knowing all the words to 'Defying Gravity' is a genuine flex.

Cross the bridge into the Inner West and the costumes get decidedly less expensive and a lot more unhinged. Up at Waywards Ballroom (opens in a new tab), the Glitch (opens in a new tab) crew are throwing Glitch (opens in a new tab) from 11pm until 3:30am for $10, leaning hard into 2000s and 2010s internet trash — those steep stairs up from the pub floor are a proper test in platforms, so hold the rail. Or stay on King Street for Queer Kingdom (opens in a new tab) at Stonewall Hotel Newtown (opens in a new tab), which runs 8pm to 4am for free with drag shows, caged dancers and DJs across every level.

The Afters, and the After-Afters

Saturday night doesn't end until Sunday afternoon. If you've still got it in you, the place to be is Morning Glory at Home (opens in a new tab). It kicks off at 3am, so you can roll straight there from wherever you end up. This is one of GAYM's best parties, mostly because that rooftop terrace at sunrise is a spiritual experience. The state you'll see people in is also an experience.

Daylight on the Sunday has its own rituals once you've scrubbed the fake blood off. Beresford Sundays (opens in a new tab) takes over the Beresford Hotel (opens in a new tab) from 12pm right through to 2am for free, starting in the courtyard before heading upstairs — you will inevitably spot someone still wearing Saturday's glitter in the afternoon sun. If you're still standing by 9pm, Sunday Shenanigans (opens in a new tab) at Universal (opens in a new tab) is also free until 2am, with hosts Les Beau Fierce, Victoria Mami, Raquel and Karma Bites running an open stage from 10pm and more shows at 11:30pm.

A Gentle Start, Or Not

Skip wholesome entirely and go straight to BARBA's dungeon adventure at Trough X (opens in a new tab). The theme is 'bondage meets fantasy', which should tell you everything you need to know. It's dark, it's sweaty, and it's the perfect way to start your Halloween with bad intentions. This is the one for the freaks and pigs, as they say themselves — it's a very specific room, and you know if it's for you.

And if that's not enough choice for one basement, the Poof Doof (opens in a new tab) crew are also taking over that same room with Red Grave. This is their harder, sweatier techno side, a world away from their big Saturday production — a good promoter should have range, after all. They've packed the place with an XXL lineup, with DJ Marco Mani and Erfaan Arif on the decks, so you should expect a proper rave. It'll be hot, it'll be rammed, and for $38.83 you can get your weekend started on a very high note from 10pm.

If a full-blown dungeon isn't quite your speed for a Friday warm-up, you've got other options. Over in Surry Hills, Diablos Bordello is running an immersive cabaret haunt at TWO80 (opens in a new tab). You're paying for a proper show here, at sixty-nine dollars for performers who get right up in your space. It's theatrical, it's intense, and it all wraps up by ten. Or for zero dollars, you can head to The Imperial (opens in a new tab) for Ruby's Rumble (opens in a new tab), their open-stage drag battle. It's a proper Inner West night, and for a free show you get a lot of heart and probably one disastrous wig reveal, which is part of the fun. It finishes at midnight, making it a perfect launchpad before you commit to the rest of the weekend.

Friday has a couple of other moods on offer, too. If you're hoping to find your monster-mash partner for the rest of the weekend, there's a Halloween Singles Mixer at The Trinity (opens in a new tab) from 7pm. It’s a relaxed thing, no rigid speed-dating structure, just a room of people you might actually want to talk to. Elsewhere, Tribe @ 231 (opens in a new tab) has its House of Horrors show at TRIBE at 231 (opens in a new tab). You'll get live spooky anthems from Igor Black — he was on The X Factor Brasil, so the vocals are serious — and a lineup of drag guests. Both are done by 11pm, leaving you plenty of stamina for whatever comes next.

For an actual warm-up before the heavy lifting begins, Friday Fun (opens in a new tab) at Stonewall Hotel Newtown is free from 8pm to 3am with cabaret, burlesque, drag and cages. Later on, Sydney Sauna (opens in a new tab) is running its Midnight After Hours (opens in a new tab) at Sydney Sauna (opens in a new tab) in Darlinghurst from midnight to 4am for $33, where DJ 1-Up plays and the focus is on unwinding once the main rooms start to thin out — though how much actual resting gets done in the steam is entirely down to your stamina.