Canberra Music Venue Transit Bar Goes Into Liquidation

Canberra music venue and entertainment hotspot Transit Bar has shut its doors and entered liquidation.

The Canberra Times reports that venue operators Transit Bar Pty Ltd ceased trading last Tuesday (11 February), and the space was placed into liquidation the following day.

According to The Canberra Times, an open mic comedy night scheduled for last Tuesday was cancelled half an hour before its start time. The Valentine’s Day-themed events on 13 and 14 February were also axed. The Transit Bar website does not list any other events.

Transit Bar, a popular live music and entertainment bar in Canberra, has been operating for 19 years. However, it has faced difficulties spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent inflation and cost-of-living pressures in recent years.

RSM Australia’s Frank Lo Pilato, liquidator for the venue, told The Canberra Times as much. Pilato said: “They're probably like any other businesses that have been affected by the inflationary pressures, and people [are] just looking at their spending budgets and being very careful with that.”

In January 2021, the venue moved after closing in 2020 due to COVID-19 under new management and in a new space.

Transit Bar was previously located in a downstairs venue on Akuna Street, but it moved to the former Hog’s Breath Café location in Bailey’s Arcade on the London Circuit. The venue closed during the COVID-19 lockdown and eventually reopened in 2022.

Before its closure, Transit Bar hosted numerous Australian acts, such as Lime Cordiale, Genesis Owusu, Amyl And The Sniffers, Telenova, COTERIE, Diamond Construct, Thy Art Is Murder, Zebrahead, The Chats, Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, and many more.