ChiChiz Bar, Canberra's new queer venue opens in December

A new nocturnal social hub for the LGBTQIA+ community in Canberra is opening in less than two weeks in The Sydney Building on Northbourne Avenue.

Nestled between a pole dancing studio and a tattoo parlour, ChiChiz (pronounced chi-chi’s) will open its doors to the public on Friday, December 19, in a space that formerly housed a tequila bar and Mexican restaurant.

ChiChiz co-owner and marketing director Anastasia Tyler told QNews that the venue would be operating with a 150 patron capacity.

With a public bar operating on the ground floor and a more intimate VIP area with its own bar upstairs.

“That area will also be open to the public on busier nights.” Tyler said.

“But it’s also a space for community groups and organisations to use for their workshops or meetings or other kinds of events.”

Anastasia described the vibe of the venue as “really fun and unpretentious, while still having some style about it with a really warm feel.”

Adding that it would host queer venue mainstays like drag, trivia and karaoke nights.

“We asked for feedback from the community as to what they’d like to see, and we’ve heard that people would also like some quieter nights, so we’re taking that on board as well,” she said.

The timing for a new queer venue opening in the nation’s capital couldn’t be more urgent, with Canberra’s Cube nightclub closing at the end of December but Tyler said plans for the venue had been in the works for about two years.

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Dedicated queer spaces continue to matter

“We’ve always had a very strong vision of what we wanted ChiChiz to be,” she said.

“But when we heard that Cube was closing, that added a sense of urgency to the situation.”

“If Cube had closed and there was nothing to replace it, then there would be literally no queer place left in this town, and we couldn’t let that happen.

“We were very lucky to find a space that suited us right down to the ground when we did, and that timing is very fortuitous now.”

Anastasia said recent reports about gay men in the ACT being assaulted by groups of males using fake profiles on hookup apps to lure their victims showed why dedicated queer spaces continued to matter in 2025.

“With what we’ve been hearing in the news, it’s one hundred per cent important that we have venues where it’s possible for people to meet in person and verify who they’re talking to,” she said.

“Those stories are absolutely horrifying.”

“It’s really important for safety, and there’s also having a space that creates a sense of belonging, where you’re not just tolerated for that drag night once a week,

“But where you have a dedicated space where you can meet people and that will always be there for you.”

Head to ChiChiz Bar’s website for more details or follow them on socials.