After twelve years of daiquiris and DJs, Melbourneโs beloved Ferdydurke loft bar will hold its last round of cocktails on 20 April 2024. The announcement was made via the barโs socials last Friday (12 April).
โOur favourite little loft ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ 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,โ the owners began.
โUnfortunately, all good things come to an end, and it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Ferdy. Our ๐ก๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ผ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ก, ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ๐! 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.โ
Settled on the top floor of the decorated brick alleyway at 31 Tattersalls Ln, Ferdydurke served as one of Melbourneโs 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:
โThis place has been an institution and a hub for the community, I couldnโt be more thankful to be apart of the team,โ Naarm DJ Sadiva commented.
โI 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,โ 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, Kingโs Lear, while OโSkulligans 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 isnโt finished just yet:
โAs eternal optimists we are down, but not out, and have new plans for a different format venue to open shortly so watch this space.โ
