Fiddlers Green Irish Bar and Restaurant closes on the Gold Coast

ONE of Surfers Paradise’s last remaining live music venues has shut its doors unexpectedly, with the pub’s surprise closure shocking local industry figures.

Fiddlers Green Bar and Restaurant has closed at Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Jessica Elder

SURFERS Paradise’s Fiddlers Green Irish Bar and Restaurant has closed its doors to the public for the first time in a decade.

The Cavill Avenue restaurant, which opened in 2007, was renowned for its live music scene and as a venue to watch sport.

Fiddlers Green Bar and Restaurant has closed at Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Picture: Jessica Elder

Tonight, their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts were inaccessible.

However, its website is still live.

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On it, a calendar from July can be seen showing live music acts featured each night.

The website also stated that they had 12 sports channels at the bar across all codes.

The closure of the long-term institution came as a shock to Surfers Paradise Licensed Venue Association president Tim Martin.

Fiddlers Green Irish Bar going off in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

“It’s a shame if that’s what’s happened,” Mr Martin said, adding the pub had appeared to be trading quite well.

“It’s a bit of a shock, it’s news to everyone.”

Local band McKenzie lead vocalist Nick Beech said he had not been informed the venue had closed. The band was due to play at the venue later this month.

“It’s a bit upsetting, we haven’t been here that long and they gave us a crack when we first started,” he said.

“It’s pretty sad to see it go.”

Fiddlers Green Bar and Restaurant is no longer open. Picture: Jessica Elder

He said they had only been playing on the Gold Coast for the past one and a half years and there were few live music venues in Surfers Paradise.

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“We didn’t have a clue (they were closing),” Mr Beech said.

“We’ve played there in the past, nothing huge, but it was good in Surfers Paradise.”

He said the band often performed on the smaller stage at the front, but said it was fun to play the larger stage at the back of the restaurant.

“It was just a classic Irish pub,” he said.

“It is a good spot, there’s not heaps of (live venues) in Surfers Paradise. There’s the Avenue and the Beer Garden … but the Avenue has moved to DJs.

“It was really one of the only places supporting live music with four-five piece bands.

“Hopefully another place will fill the void.”

Multiple calls to the venue today could not be connected.

Staff at neighbouring businesses said the restaurant hadn’t opened for the past few nights.