Popular Kings Cross Venue To Make Comeback In 2017

Popular Kings Cross nightspot and high-profile bar Hugo's Lounge is set to make a comeback in 2017, after it became one of the many casualties of Sydney's lockout laws and closed its doors last August. 

According to The Daily Telegraph, the operator of Double Bay's Casablanca nightclub, Eric Jury, will reopen the venue as a pop-up bar next February, with an aim for it to become permanent in August. 

It has been reported that Hugo's will serve as a spin-off of Casablanca, which will close next year to make way for new residencies. 

To combat the lockouts and noise complaints, Jury revealed he has already begun installing sound proofing technology in Hugo's.

"I think the lockout laws has actually done good job of clearing out some of the trash in the area and I think it actually has a much nicer atmosphere compared to what it used to be like," Jury said.

"Hopefully this could be the beginning of a new era for this venue and that street in particular. I’m hoping that we can bring the people back and make the area as popular as it once was."

Kings Cross Liquor Accord boss Doug Grand added that the venue reopening could just be the boost needed to reboot the area's nightlife. 

"That street has been fairly depressed since Hugo’s closed so if the right operator can come in and work around the decibel reading restrictions then great," Grand said.

"We are still hoping for changes to the lockout laws but at this point there hasn’t been an indication of when that might happen."

It is believed that Premier Mike Baird will make some amendments to the contentious legislation by year's end, though it is has been speculated that the changes will not be major. 

Speaking to The Music last year, Hugo's Lounge owner, Dave Evans, slammed the laws as "ludicrous".

"At the moment it's just three suburbs that are being victimised by an unfair law," he said.

"You can’t have such anti-competitive laws placed on initially Kings Cross and then a year and a half later they brought in only parts of the city and parts of Oxford Street."