On street level, The Bank Hotel is classic Newtown: sprawling beer garden, muralled walls, groups spilling out onto King Street. It’s the kind of place you meet friends "for one drink" before realising the sun set three hours ago and you’ve somehow adopted a local’s dog. Head upstairs, though, and things get distinctly more glittery.

Waywards Ballroom is the grungy-gleam heart of the building – a low-lit room with a proper stage, good sound, sticky dancefloor and a crowd that looks like every corner of the Inner West turned up at once. Weekends are stacked with live bands, indie-disco club nights and DJ sets that run late; midweek, it swings from stand-up and improv to open-mic chaos.

The bar’s long-running Wednesday night party, Birdcage, is a Newtown institution and one of the city’s most reliable midweek queer blowouts, mixing drag, DJs and a gloriously mixed crowd who actually dress up for a Wednesday.

It’s not a niche micro-bar – think big, loud and social. Perfect if you want to pre-game before bouncing to The Imperial in Erskineville, or just stay put and let the night find you. Lift access, a friendly door team and a clear safe-space vibe make it an easy yes for out-of-towners.