Iconic NSW Venue The Cambridge Hotel Announces ‘Farewell Festival’

Newcastle live music venue The Cambridge Hotel has confirmed its closure, announcing a massive ‘Farewell Festival’ for this June.

Last year it was revealed that the NSW venue would be shutting its doors to live music once its lease expired this June, with developers eying it for inner-city student accommodation.

At the time, the team behind the beloved space said they would be “looking at all options” to ensure “the live music scene is still supported”.

A three-day street party has today been revealed to send off The Cambridge Hotel, with organisers promising an “epic” line-up that will “pay homage to the huge roster of artists that have stormed the gates of The Cambo since it opened in 1958”.

Silverchair, The Presets, Kaiser Chiefs, The Black Keys, The Living End, Bernard Fanning and more are among those to grace its stage over the years.

'The Cambridge Hotel Farewell Festival' will kick off on June 23, with its line-up revealed this Thursday, March 23, ahead of tickets going on sale next Tuesday, March 28. For more info, click here.

Last year’s announcement that operators were hoping to keep the venue alive was met with overwhelming support from punters and artists.

Phil Jamieson shared his early experiences at the venue, stating, “I’ll be there when the doors close.”

“I’ve been coming to your venue as a punter since I was 15 years old,” Jamieson said. “My first show was Tumbleweed & The Meanies standing outside peering through a chain link fence cause I was underage. Grinspoon have played many shows there and I’ve done a bunch of solo stuff there as well.”

Lime Cordiale added: “Some loaded music lover can surely turn up and save the day here! We’ve played so many fun ones at The Cambridge. Remember when Troy Cassar-Daley turned up and we all had a belter?”

Developer Linkcity’s multi-million-dollar redevelopment does not include a licensed venue as they deem it an ‘unsafe’ addition to student accommodation.