UBQ

UBQ, short for UBQueer, is one of Melbourne's favorite LGBTQIA+ venues, an owner-run queer bar and event space in the heart of Fitzroy's Smith Street strip, the city's buzziest gay nightlife precinct. Founded by Nick Ribbon to recreate the kind of community space he wished he'd had coming up as a young drag performer, it's a genuine labor of love, lovingly stitched together from pieces of Melbourne's queer past (the bar came from the beloved Peel, the curtains from Vau d'vile). Under the disco balls you'll find a packed calendar with something for everyone: drag productions, karaoke, trivia, salsa lessons, pup parties, themed dance nights and community fundraisers, plus a casual dine-in food menu several nights a week. Now expanded with a second space, UBQ Upstairs, and joined by its dining sibling LCKR Room, it's an inclusive, high-energy home base where the drinks are strong, the events are legendary, and everyone's welcome. Pride flags out front, sass within.