Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A NIGHT ON THE TILES
Most of Sydney's older pubs are clad in glazed tiles, often with beautifully coloured art-nouveau designs. Why?
Prior to drinking law reform in the mid-1950s, pubs shut their doors at 6pm, before which after-work drinkers
would storm in and chug down as many beers as quickly as possible - the six o'clock swill. Publicans discovered
pretty quickly that it's easier to hose slopped beer, vomit and urine from glazed tiles.
What to Wear
Sydney can be flashy, but it's also very casual. Men will nearly always get away with tidy
jeans, T-shirts and trainers. Thongs (flip-flops, jandals), singlets (vests) and shorts are usu-
ally fine in pubs in the daytime, but incur the ire of security staff after dark. Women can
generally wear whatever the hell they like, and many take this as an excuse to wear as
little as possible.
Live Music & DJs
Since the 1950s Sydney has been hip to jazz, and in the 1970s and '80s, Aussie pub rock
became a force to be reckoned with. Although Sydney fell into a house-induced haze in
the '90s, live music is making a comeback. You can catch bands any night of the week in
dozens of inner-city pubs. Check the free street mags (
Drum Media, Brag
) and Friday's
Metro section of the
Sydney Morning Herald
for listings.
Sydney's obsession with dance music was born out of the gay scene's legendary
shindigs: Mardi Gras, Sleaze Ball and numerous other megaparties. The crossover into
mainstream culture in the 1990s coincided with the worldwide house and hip-hop explo-
sion and a flood of Ecstasy tablets.
If you feel like tying one on, you'll have no problems finding a place to do the tying.
As well as a few world-class clubs, plenty of upmarket bars have DJs and dance floors.
This isn't New York or London where you can party any night of the week, but if you just
can't control your feet, there are plenty of options from Wednesday through Sunday.
