Not a lot has been said about Marquee Sydney on JC so I thought I'd do a quick(ish) write up on Tao Group's venture down under.
About a year and a half ago Sydney's only casino The Star completed a major $1b renovation. Marquee opened at the end of March 2012 on the top (3rd) floor covering approx 20,000 sq ft.
Entry to the club is located on the casino floor. There are separate lines for tables, pre sales, guestlist and GA. After entry you walk up a set of escalators where the press wall is located and double doors to enter the club. Marquee is separated into 3 spaces much like Vegas - Main, Boombox and The Library. However all rooms are on the same level (no stairs!). As soon as you enter there's a cloakroom - turn right to go to the mainroom, left to the Boombox/Library.
If you turn right, you walk up a couple of steps. Immediately to your left is the fishbowl with performers that change theme every couple of weeks. Opening weekend was a hedonistic theme with midgets and girls, chains, whips etc.
marquee1.jpg
Immediately to the right of the fishbowl is the entrance to the mainroom.
The mainroom has a capacity of a little over 700 people. Primarily EDM however they have recently started an open format night on Fridays. There are around 30 tables with 2 bars, the first of which you encounter as you enter. The ceiling is low (no 2nd level like Vegas) however it seems quite open thanks to a mirror ceiling above the dancefloor. The lighting/laser setup is good, dominated by a LED wall behind the DJ booth. The booth itself is also wrapped in LED which acts as an extension of the main wall. The ceiling also has LED rings.
marquee2.jpg
marquee3.jpg
marquee4.jpg
The sound system is ridiculous, better than any venue I've been to (including Vegas) but this is no doubt helped by the small space. On either side of the DJ booth are two platforms that are used by the dancers.
Behind the LED wall is a second bar with 5 tables.
marquee5.jpg
The area is also used to access Table 1 which is directly behind the DJ booth (and behind the bar in the above picture - see glass partition). When this is used the LED wall opens up.
Off the main room is the bathroom with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city and Sydney harbour. There are also a few chairs and a small bar so this is regularly used as a chillout area.
A local hairdressing business offers straightening/styling for the ladies in this area.
Turning left from the cloakroom we enter the Boombox, open format/hip hop/rnb. Capacity is only 300 so requires a wristband and/or table to enter on busy nights. For this reason it is commonly referred to as "The VIP" by GA, although it opens up to everyone after main room closes ~4AM. Around 20 tables, most of which are on the dancefloor, with the rest sprinkled around the bar and up against the windows. Again, amazing sound in here. The sound proofing between each room is unreal, even though they are all essentially next to each other no sound bleeds in.
Entry to the Library is via the Boombox behind the bar - see below.
There is a fairly long skinny passage way to the main library with tables lined up against the windows, bookcases lining the opposite side of the wall and dim gothic style chandeliers. The library itself is very small with a bar, few chairs, 3 tables, fireplace and a TV that has a live feed from the main room. It does however look insanely sexy.
So that's the venue. Onto the experience...
They've definitely brought a lot of Vegas elements to Sydney. Until last year bottle service was a very foreign idea in Sydney - the introduction of Marquee has forced almost all clubs to offer BS, although none do it as well as Marquee. The interesting thing that no doubt presented a challenge to Tao Group is that RSA (responsible service of alcohol) is a huge deal in Australia. With them wanting to bring the BS experience to Sydney they've had to adhere to some pretty strictly monitored laws...
- Bottles have to be locked in a clear case when it's not being used.
- Drinks can only be poured by the waitress.
- No free pouring, each drink has to be measured at 30mL (which is 1 "standard drink").
The tradeoff is that the majority of tables have their own waitress, so whenever you want a drink, you'll get it. While you won't be able to drink Vodka straight from the bottle you won't be waiting long for a drink either. The bussers are also fantastic - you'll never reuse a glass and you'll always have a fresh bucket of ice.
Presentations are almost identical to Vegas which Sydneysiders love, so you see lots of magnums being bought. They'll dress up in pink gorilla outfits, batman etc. and use the CO2 guns, confetti and whatnot.
Like every other country EDM is a huge deal at the moment, so almost every major DJ has played in the 17 months it's been open. Avicii, Calvin, Afrojack, Porter, Aoki, Hardwell etc. - on the open format nights they've brought in rappers, most recently Ray J & ASAP Rocky. PSY did a performance during the height of the craze.
So that's about all I can think of. I'm there most weekends so if anyone has any other questions please ask!
About a year and a half ago Sydney's only casino The Star completed a major $1b renovation. Marquee opened at the end of March 2012 on the top (3rd) floor covering approx 20,000 sq ft.
Entry to the club is located on the casino floor. There are separate lines for tables, pre sales, guestlist and GA. After entry you walk up a set of escalators where the press wall is located and double doors to enter the club. Marquee is separated into 3 spaces much like Vegas - Main, Boombox and The Library. However all rooms are on the same level (no stairs!). As soon as you enter there's a cloakroom - turn right to go to the mainroom, left to the Boombox/Library.
If you turn right, you walk up a couple of steps. Immediately to your left is the fishbowl with performers that change theme every couple of weeks. Opening weekend was a hedonistic theme with midgets and girls, chains, whips etc.
marquee1.jpg
Immediately to the right of the fishbowl is the entrance to the mainroom.
The mainroom has a capacity of a little over 700 people. Primarily EDM however they have recently started an open format night on Fridays. There are around 30 tables with 2 bars, the first of which you encounter as you enter. The ceiling is low (no 2nd level like Vegas) however it seems quite open thanks to a mirror ceiling above the dancefloor. The lighting/laser setup is good, dominated by a LED wall behind the DJ booth. The booth itself is also wrapped in LED which acts as an extension of the main wall. The ceiling also has LED rings.
marquee2.jpg
marquee3.jpg
marquee4.jpg
The sound system is ridiculous, better than any venue I've been to (including Vegas) but this is no doubt helped by the small space. On either side of the DJ booth are two platforms that are used by the dancers.
Behind the LED wall is a second bar with 5 tables.
marquee5.jpg
The area is also used to access Table 1 which is directly behind the DJ booth (and behind the bar in the above picture - see glass partition). When this is used the LED wall opens up.
Off the main room is the bathroom with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city and Sydney harbour. There are also a few chairs and a small bar so this is regularly used as a chillout area.
A local hairdressing business offers straightening/styling for the ladies in this area.
Turning left from the cloakroom we enter the Boombox, open format/hip hop/rnb. Capacity is only 300 so requires a wristband and/or table to enter on busy nights. For this reason it is commonly referred to as "The VIP" by GA, although it opens up to everyone after main room closes ~4AM. Around 20 tables, most of which are on the dancefloor, with the rest sprinkled around the bar and up against the windows. Again, amazing sound in here. The sound proofing between each room is unreal, even though they are all essentially next to each other no sound bleeds in.
Entry to the Library is via the Boombox behind the bar - see below.
There is a fairly long skinny passage way to the main library with tables lined up against the windows, bookcases lining the opposite side of the wall and dim gothic style chandeliers. The library itself is very small with a bar, few chairs, 3 tables, fireplace and a TV that has a live feed from the main room. It does however look insanely sexy.
So that's the venue. Onto the experience...
They've definitely brought a lot of Vegas elements to Sydney. Until last year bottle service was a very foreign idea in Sydney - the introduction of Marquee has forced almost all clubs to offer BS, although none do it as well as Marquee. The interesting thing that no doubt presented a challenge to Tao Group is that RSA (responsible service of alcohol) is a huge deal in Australia. With them wanting to bring the BS experience to Sydney they've had to adhere to some pretty strictly monitored laws...
- Bottles have to be locked in a clear case when it's not being used.
- Drinks can only be poured by the waitress.
- No free pouring, each drink has to be measured at 30mL (which is 1 "standard drink").
The tradeoff is that the majority of tables have their own waitress, so whenever you want a drink, you'll get it. While you won't be able to drink Vodka straight from the bottle you won't be waiting long for a drink either. The bussers are also fantastic - you'll never reuse a glass and you'll always have a fresh bucket of ice.
Presentations are almost identical to Vegas which Sydneysiders love, so you see lots of magnums being bought. They'll dress up in pink gorilla outfits, batman etc. and use the CO2 guns, confetti and whatnot.
Like every other country EDM is a huge deal at the moment, so almost every major DJ has played in the 17 months it's been open. Avicii, Calvin, Afrojack, Porter, Aoki, Hardwell etc. - on the open format nights they've brought in rappers, most recently Ray J & ASAP Rocky. PSY did a performance during the height of the craze.
So that's about all I can think of. I'm there most weekends so if anyone has any other questions please ask!
Comment