Kinselas

Kinselas is that big, slightly chaotic friend on Taylor Square who always wants “just one more”. Downstairs it’s classic pub energy – cold beers, sticky carpets, pool tables, and prime people-watching through those giant windows onto the rainbow crossroads of Oxford and Bourke. Swing by early for a feed and a seat; stay when the lights dim and the soundtrack turns from background noise to proper pre-club warm-up.

Head upstairs and things get distinctly more homoerotic. The middle and top floors regularly host party crews and weekly institutions – from big-name DJ nights and house-heavy raves to pop-fuelled dance parties that take over multiple rooms. Saturdays are prime time: expect packed floors, lasers, and a very high concentration of harnesses and mesh. It’s less polished than some neighbours, but that’s the charm – it feels like a real community pub that accidentally became a mini-superclub.

On big weekends – Mardi Gras, New Year’s, WorldPride-style festivals – Kinselas leans into its role as Taylor Square’s beating heart. Think drag takeovers, queer live acts, and crowds spilling onto the corner between cigarette breaks and messy reunions. If you’re bar-hopping the strip, it makes an ideal launch pad: easy to find, hard to leave, and perfectly placed between Oxford’s historic pubs and the late-night clubs further down.