Ferdydurke Bar To Close Up Shop
Another Melbourne institution closes its doors.
Ferdydurke (Source: Supplied)
After twelve years of daiquiris and DJs, Melbourne’s beloved Ferdydurke loft bar will hold its last round of cocktails on 20 April 2024. The announcement was made via the bar’s socials last Friday (12 April).
“Our favourite little loft 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗱𝘆 opened 12 years ago today, and we are extremely grateful for the opportunities it has given us. We've supported live, independent and underground music consistently and built a motley collection of alumni, staff and friends who are now scattered across Melbourne and the world beyond,” the owners began.
“Unfortunately, all good things come to an end, and it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Ferdy. Our 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝟮𝟬𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙡, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙮 𝙁𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙣 𝙁𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝟭𝟵𝙩𝙝! We hope to see you for a drink or two as we celebrate the good times, shed a few tears and send it off with a bang.”
Settled on the top floor of the decorated brick alleyway at 31 Tattersalls Ln, Ferdydurke served as one of Melbourne’s most iconic clubs. The venue did it all, from hosting DJ back-to-backs and themed holiday parties, still-life drawing sessions and market pop-ups to catering to many significant milestones such as hen nights, baby showers and birthdays. The memory of the club is soon to become a relic of time, just like the building it occupies.
Many punters took to the comments to give their own little eulogies for the venue:
“This place has been an institution and a hub for the community, I couldn’t be more thankful to be apart of the team,” Naarm DJ Sadiva commented.
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“I am very sad about this news, Ferdy has been my home as a deejay and as an audience. My love goes to the management, staff and your faithful audience,” added another fellow artist, Eche.
The shutdown of Ferdydurke follows recent venue closures across the nation. Around 15 restaurants and bars have closed in Melbourne alone since the end of 2023, with The Bendigo Hotel being the most recent music venue to close along with Ferdydurke.
Brisbane has seen the closure of Laruche, King’s Lear, while O’Skulligans no longer hosts live music, and Adelaide has recently lost Red Square. The closures of these venues come from post-pandemic consequences, as public liability insurance rises and companies are refusing to cover live venues. Production, electricity and liquor licencing costs are also on the rise.
While the industry continues to be tumultuous, Ferdy isn’t finished just yet:
“As eternal optimists we are down, but not out, and have new plans for a different format venue to open shortly so watch this space.”
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