Stonewall Hotel

Found ourselves at the Stonewall on Oxford St on a Thursday night when a group of us felt like a dance after a dinner. Given the lockout rule in Sydney and the fact that we decided to go out at 1am it was suggested to hit up the Stonewall.
Given it was a Thursday night and pretty late there was still quite a crowd! Music was good, atmosphere was fun and drinks were decently priced! Yes it is a gay bar but doesn’t mean straight people can’t have fun too. we had no problems at all — just joined in on the fun!
There is limited room to dance and at 3 they close off the main dance section and move everyone into the small bar next door. Drinks still available but not much room to move.
All in all — a pretty fun end to the night !

It is unfortunate that this place is seen as a staple to a Gay man’s night out in Sydney. Every time I go out with friends we always seem to make our second last stop (before Arq or Palms) at this bar. We get a few drinks, sit and talk, maybe watch a drag show, go upstairs to the dance floor and dance till around 12 and then leave for a more popping club.
The crowd really is a mixed bag… I like the variation and how this place isn’t as sleazy and hook up focused as Arq. However, it is kind of saddening that most people are isolated in their own group.
A really average place.

I have not visited this hotel in over 10 years due to the surcharge they put on. I believe that people should be able to come in and have a drink without paying something extra and the shows are fairly basic. lip sinking. On New Year’s Eve I was with a friend who is from the country and wanted to visit a few of the bars. We went to one another before here. Then we were at the door at 9.58am and the surcharge was $ 20, after 10pm it was $ 30. So we went in. We did enjoy the music and all three floors were open. We danced for a while. The drinks were reasonable (well they had to be cheaper with the surcharge) and the shows were as tacky as ever. The crowd became very vocal after a few hours. I could see a few that were going to be escorted out. It is a good pick up place if you want to meet someone… but start at the start of the night. As they say «All cats look grey at night».

This would have to be the worst gay bar in history. The security are rude and act like they are police, the drag shows are full of talentless hacks that recycle the same old acts and the crowd in general is full of pretentious snobs and muscle queens. The décor is tacky and the whole place is in desperate need of a paint job and a clean. The only thing I can say that was good is that the drinks are cheap.
If this is how gay people in sydney like to spend their night out then that is sad…

I’ve been coming here for years. Although it never a planned destination, we always know we will loose a few hours in laughs and drinks. If you are not gay friendly then there are many other bars to go too. However if you are, then you will enjoy the atmosphere and the great dancers — male ;)

Stonewall Hotel (it really isn’t a hotel… there are no rooms) is clearly the most happening and leading of the gay bars in the Oxford Street section of commonly noted as Sydney’s gayborhood. Indeed it seems to be about the only one that has anything really going for it on weekdays. Though it gets super busy on weekends too, they then open up all three floor levels so unlike some of the other places that are popular on weekends only, you can usually managed to get in without waiting in line.
Stonewall is kind of a mixed bag of things with olders, (read anything 35+), youngers, drags, lesbians, straight girls out on the town with their «best gay boyfriend» & etc. but basically gay male mid-​twenties to mid-​thirties in age. They have drag show entertainment, go-​go dancers, various theme events, fund raisers and the like. There’s usually something or some event thing happening and they also have a VIP area where they can host parties. The décor of the place is seems somewhat funky side with their use of various chandeliers.
The drinks served tend to be small and somewhat on the weak side. Though I can’t say I’m a fan of the place, I’m giving it Four Stars anyway in an effort to be objective as it is one of the most popular of Sydney’s gay venues, very active and a lot people just love it.

Overall, this could probably be a fun bar, if you’re into it. Stonewall has a lively décor and the bar staff is pretty friendly. The drinks are fairly weak, though. On two separate occasions I came here having four cocktails and absolutely no buzz either time.
(On a side note: I went here for karaōke night, as I have done hundreds of times across three different countries in the last 20-​some years, and my experience was quite disappointing. I checked out their website and Facebook page to make sure they had karaōke on Tuesday, and then got to the bar about 40 minutes beforehand. There were maybe 10 people at the bar, and I filled out the song selection card with a couple random tunes, just for fun, as I certainly didn’t think there would be a crowd, and I was there just to have a good time. Despite there being absolutely no notification on their website, Facebook page, or sign up area, little did I know that I had just entered a contest! Once I was called to the stage an hour (and four watered down cocktails) later, the host proceeded to rip my song selection, even though the tracks I picked were from their playlist — songs I never would have chosen had I known it was a contest! So, yeah, this was probably the worst karaōke experience of my life, and I probably won’t come back to this bar because of the way they made me feel as a customer after having dropped over $ 75 bucks on drinks. However, I know my experience is unique, and others might find this place rather enjoyable for some reason.)

One of the oldest and very famous gay bars in Sydney, where I don’t think you can be considered a real Sydneysider unless you’ve been here at least once (regardless of which team you «bat for»).
Anyway down to the facts.
The good:
— Great for a «girls night out hassle free (and a bit of eyecandy ;))
— Open 7 days a week till 4/​5am (perfect for that «school night» bender around the Surry Hills area (which shuts down at midnight!)
— Cheap drinks
Not to mention, insanely cheap drinks.
Downsides:
— Bathrooms are gross (try not to touch anything) and have a really funky odor! With cheap drinks it can be hard to avoid — you have been warned (maybe use the bathrooms at the more classier Colombian Hotel?!

Creepy, not funny, low-​life jokes and humor all mixed together with bad drag shows and stingy drinks.

Stonewall, or ‘Stonies’ (not ‘The Wall’ — that refers to something different entirely) is the most iconic gay club in Sydney.
I have spent so many nights here just moving from one level to the next, getting drunker and drunker and realising that people aren’t getting any prettier. I think I went through a Stonewall phase where I had the best partying of my life and then got over it. But going back a couple of times a year is now enjoyable.
The drag shows on the ground floor are fantastic, with more up and coming talent than say, the Impy. But the stage is small and productions aren’t as flamboyant, if that is possible.
Within the last couple of years the previously free club has found a cover charge. Not sure if its all the time or what, but I had to pay $ 5 to get in recently and was flabbergasted.
Hopefully this keeps out some of the lurkers though. There are some people there who are there to pick pockets, take advantage of drunk people. They are incredibly seedy and you can usually spot them from a mile away, although more difficult when intoxicated, obviously.
I love that Stonewall is inclusive and all that, and straight friendly etc etc etc but random groups going without gay friends just for kicks kind of changes the vibe of the place.
Drinks are expensive, so come with a full wallet. But don’t let it get stolen, like mine did. If you are a girl you better learn to pee standing up because the toilets are putrid. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I was in Sydney on a business trip and i decided to head out with some girlfriends to the gay district in oxford street.
The first place i was taken (Trust me, there were many) was Stonewall and i had one of the greatest entertainment experiences here. They had their drag shows start around 10pm and my god was i blown away but the performers here!
The Drag Queens were some of the best female impersators i have ever seen. The crowd are really friendly and the atmosphere is great.
There is the downstairs /​main entrance area which is good for standing round enjoying a drink and having a chat. The upstairs provide a cosy dancing space decked out with dancers and a small bar.
This venue is great, small and friendly. A good welcome into Sydney’s gay scene. I’ve been back a-​many times to enjoy night out with friends when I’m in town.

Why do you go to Stonewall? Drag Shows, Stonewall must have more drag shows than anywhere. If you’re planning a big gay night out Arq and Nevermind are probably where you plan to end up, but they don’t really get going until about 1am, so the stonewall is where you start, it is a mixed crowd of the «beautiful people» or those who think they are and everyone else. It is a colourful fun atmosphere and you can buy cocktails in buckets to help you get to your desired state of inebriation.
I hadn’t been for a while but went with my flat mates a few weeks ago and the three of us sat drinking out of buckets pointing out to each other the cutest guys in the room. Some guy told me I looked like Peter Andre (I had done my hair a little bit crazy) and started laughing at me, he was not a drag queen but with the amount of concealer he was wearing and the Botox in his face, maybe he should have been, I just laughed, besides when I was a teenager I thought Peter Andre was gorgeous.
And also they have three levels so always lots to explore.

Well we went on an adventure! With friends visiting from NYC, all we wanted was a big fun night out along Oxford Street with the 3 D’s: dancing, drinks and drag queens!
After going to a couple other (very pretentious) places, we landed at Stonewall. Sharing its name with a famous dive bar in NYC, we were pleased to find a fun party atmosphere! Met the performers, had STRONG drinks and danced our butts off.
When the drag queens went to perform, however, it got weird. Used to tipping the performer during the show, we approached the stage and were greeted by a quite unfriendly security guard who did not allow us to get near the talent. That’s odd. I’m just trying to tip…
The chilly reception sent us packing sadly cast a dim shadow on what started as a brilliant night!

I don’t really fall into the Stonewall target market, being part of the «my friends wanna stop in for a drink here on a random night out» demographic. I suspect this is actually a secretly larger demographic than one would think. Outside of an early afternoon production meeting in the Midnight Shift while doing work experience for the AIDS Trust benefit, this was the first gay bar I had ever been to.
It’s a pretty pleasant place and I have vivid memories of a papier-​mâché (I think) miniature man hanging from the ceiling on a vine swing. Weeknights are probably not worth the visit, with the atmosphere generally being a little dead with a few people milling around. We left after the one drink as nothing was going on, but I can see how the weekends would crowd out.