Kings Cross nightclub World Bar to make a return in November

Five years after it shut its doors due to Sydney’s strict lockout laws, Kings Cross late night venue World Bar is set to return.

Megan Mapp, Beatrice van der Velden and Lena Rolland, at the Kings Cross Hotel. The World Bar will return to Sydney for one night only on November 18, at the Kings Cross Hotel. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Almost five years to the day since it closed, popular Kings Cross night-life institution World Bar is making a comeback!

The late night bar on Bayswater Rd closed in 2018, taking with it it’s infamous teapot cocktails.  

Now, owner Steve Ward is bringing the famed hotspot, which once housed musical performances from ARIA award-winning Gang of Youths, Flume and music producer Dom Dolla, to the Kings Cross Hotel on November 18.

Ward was forced to close the beloved Kings Cross establishment in 2018 after 18 years because of Sydney’s strict lockout laws, which were introduced by the government from 2014 to 2021 to try and reduce alcohol-fuelled violence.

Party goers line up to enter World Bar. Picture: Bill Hearne

World Bar was just one of at least 418 licensed premises that closed after the laws were implemented.

Ward said it is “undeniable” that the laws “had a huge impact on us, as well as Sydney’s live music scene”.

The return of the nightspot is an encouraging sign for Sydney’s night-life.

Sydney’s World Bar, with it’s famous teapot cocktails, is making a return to Kings Cross. Partygoers Megan Mapp, Beatrice van der Velden and Lena Rolland. Picture: Justin Lloyd

However it won’t be appearing at it’s old spot, instead that is occupied by the newly opened Chicane.

‘World Bar – One More Time’ will deliver live music and DJs spanning four floors of the Kings Cross Hotel and will pay tribute to the Wham and   Cakes & Mum nights of years gone by.

The famous teapot cocktails will also make an appearance and there may even be some disco balls.

Ward said Kings Cross Hotel’s busy stairwells and floor to floor discovery makes it the perfect venue to house World Bar.

The World Bar and Candy's Apartment on Bayswater Road Kings Cross.

Solotel CEO, Elliot Solomon, who operates Kings Cross Hotel, spent much of his early 20s at World Bar.

“It was a Sydney institution and hosted some of the biggest electronic acts of the day. The vibe was safe, welcoming, and respectful so the crowd was always an interesting mix of people there for a fun time. I think that’s a huge part of why it was special,” he said.

World Bar party goers would often take the tea pots home. Picture: Bill Hearne

It’s also why he wanted to bring it back.

“Why not?! Sydney has an appetite for great night-life and parties – we see this every weekend across our venues, particularly the Abercrombie. There’s of course the generation who remember World Bar well and then a totally new generation that deserves to have that experience too. There’s good momentum in the area coming back as a great late-night entertainment district, so it seemed good timing to bring back one of the area’s most loved venues,” he said.

“Kings Cross has had its ups and downs for 100 years, but it always reinvents itself and comes back. I think the whole area is over the lockouts, and there is a lot of positivity about the future of the area.”

While the event is a one off, if it’s successful they aren’t ruling out a more permanent return.

Tickets for ‘World Bar – One More Time’ are on sale from today, Tuesday 26 September.