Housed in the old Midnight Shift building, Universal is a love letter to Oxford Street’s past and its very loud present. Downstairs is the main bar, where drag is basically a nightly sacrament – polished production shows, open-stage chaos, and queens who treat the runway like a contact sport. It’s busy most nights, but really hits its stride from late evening onward, when the crowd blurs into a sea of glitter, harnesses and highlighter.

Head upstairs to the Superclub for full-scale rave fantasy: big-room sound, lasers slicing through haze, and pop, house and dance remixes engineered for group scream-alongs. The vibe is mixed and welcoming – you’ll see locals pre-gaming before a big weekend, baby queers on their first Oxford Street pilgrimage, and visiting party kids who googled “where do I actually go out here?” and ended up exactly where they should.

Seven Nights of Drag

Universal anchors the strip’s drag ecosystem, with shows seven nights a week and viewing parties for things like Drag Race. It’s a perfect first stop if you’re tracing the Golden Mile: roll in after dinner, catch a show in the main bar, then either stay put until close or tumble out into the rest of Darlinghurst’s nightlife. Check current lineups and event nights on the official site at universal.sydney.