It’s the end of an era. Remember when all your year twelve classmates were promotors for Eureka Hotel? You couldn’t scroll through your newsfeed without being urged to “use my name at the door for cheap entry” at least once.
Eureka has been the go-to place for live music since the building was resurrected in 2009 by paparazzi extraordinaire Darryn Lyons. That marked the revival of Geelong’s nightlife, with Eureka at the heart and centre from the mid-1990s to its peak era in 2009. Since that fateful day, Eureka showcased before-they-were-famous bands such as Tame Impala, Wolfmother, Bluejuice, Grinspoon and Birds of Tokyo.
The Eureka Hotel has been a staple of the Geelong landscape since 1912 and has hosted classic Australian bands on its stage from Midnight Oil, Rose Tattoo and Cold Chisel. Pay tribute to the legendary band INXS and the untimely passing of Michael Hutchence, who played at Eureka during the height of their career. Listen to the best of INXS such as “Don’t Change” at Eureka’s farewell party.
With $5 drinks, Eureka was the place to go for a good night out. There was always something for everyone, with a live band on the first floor and a DJ upstairs. The place to be for uni nights, dress up parties, good drinks and a night so crazy you won’t remember it the next day. Relive the memories of a crazy night on the dance floor and then stumbling across the road for chips and gravy at good old Scooters. Not to mention waking up the next morning and scrolling through the photo albums for shots of you and your mates. At least you could always get cheap entry!
The final sign-off, “Farewell for the Last Time”, throws all the rules out the window. Except, of course, the golden rule – be excellent to each other! The dress code has been scrapped so choose anything from thrift shop, R-rated, 70s, costumes or your favourite Saturday night outfit. Anything goes so we expect to see some crazy outfits for this last time. Celebrate 105 years, more than 1,000 artists and one million of the finest individuals through their doors.
The farewell party boasts returning Eureka DJs Joel Fletcher, Todd Van Berkel, Elliot Creed, Justyn Green and Ben Reyment. Acoustic artists including Luke Biscan, Andy Foster, Jeff Malapit and Abe Anderson can be found on the upper Skydeck and resident cover band Stock Standard will be playing all your favourites on the ground floor. Eureka will be opening for the final time at 8pm, with free entry before 10pm – just like the good old days!
It’s been a good ride, and we’re sad to see it end. But now it’s time to say goodbye in one last massive night. So long, Eureka, and thanks for all the drinks.
When and where: Eureka Hotel, Geelong – Saturday November 25
Written by Steph Downing
