Venue Detail
The Imperial
About this venue
Bow down to royalty, because The Imperial Erskineville (fondly known as "The Impy") is a sacred, multi-story palace of cinematic queer history. Immortalized globally as the spiritual launchpad for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, this Inner West institution is a boundary-pushing playground celebrating all the colors of the rainbow. The Impy effortlessly breaks its magic across three distinct levels: the ground-floor Main Bar hosting high-drama, legendary Drag N' Dine banquets; the open-air Imperial Rooftop serving up disco-infused Italian trattoria vibes and cult-classic wood-fired pizzas; and the deep, dark basement layout that transforms into a thumping underground dance sanctuary.
Practical details
Address: 35 Erskineville Road, Erskineville New South Wales 2043, Australia
Hours: Mon-Tue 16:00-22:00, Wed-Thu 16:00-00:00, Fri 16:00-03:00, Sat 12:00-04:00, Sun 12:00-22:00.
Canonical: https://www.queeratlas.app/es/sydney/venues/the-imperial--3283
Venue intelligence
Know before you go
Typical queue
The public house sections are easily accessible early on. However, if you are heading to their world-famous Drag N' Dine or weekend basement club nights, pre-booking is completely mandatory.
Best night
Thursday nights are an absolute riot for their weekly Drag Bingo from 7:00 PM, or head down on Saturday night after midnight when the basement raves and late-night disco floors hit maximum, high-velocity heat.
Locals vs visitors
An exceptionally beautiful, hyper-vibrant generational cross-section. You'll dine and dance alongside glitter-clad local drag artists, community stalwarts, inner-west non-binary cliques, alternative music fans, and global tourists paying homage to Priscilla's legacy.
Dress code in practice
Radical self-expression rules the day! Everything is celebrated here—from full-blown high-camp drag, leather accents, and neon festival mesh to casual inner-west vintage streetwear, denim, and sneakers.
Staff inclusion
The entire venue management enforces strict zero-tolerance policies toward any form of discrimination or harassment. With all-gender restrooms on site, highly supportive floor teams, and dedicated peer safety measures, it remains an iron-clad, secure fortress of modern queer celebration.
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