Ivy Bar & Cabaret

Typical queue

Ivy opens Wednesday-Saturday from 20:00. Ticketed drag, vogue and competition nights can fill the downstairs room, so use the linked ticket for the named show and arrive before performance time; an ordinary early drink is the lower-pressure orientation window.

Best night

Choose by the weekly and monthly programme: drag, DJs, karaoke, quizzes, comedy and POC or Māori performance nights create materially different rooms. Wednesday or an early opening hour is better for conversation; promoted weekend shows deliver peak cabaret energy.

Locals vs visitors

Queer community is intentionally prioritised, with drag audiences, trans and nonbinary guests, Māori and POC performers, mixed LGBTQ+ groups and respectful allies. The programme, not a single generic gay-bar label, determines who is centred on a given night.

Dress code in practice

No formal code is published. Come-as-you-are casual, drag glamour and expressive club looks all fit. Consent is mandatory and the venue asks guests not to assume sexuality or gender and to ask pronouns.

Staff inclusion

Ivy publishes a zero-tolerance policy covering homo-, bi- and transphobia, sexism, racism, sexual harassment and violence; it states no SWERFs, TERFs or racists. Staff are explicitly available when a guest feels uncomfortable, and the venue lists gender-neutral toilets, seating and wheelchair access with staff escort s