12noon: Monkey Bar – Wellington's last gay bar – is set to close its doors just one week after the scene's mainstay club, Pound, hosted its Bon Voyage Party. A sign on the door simply states that management “regrets to advise” that Monkey Bar's final night of operation will be this Saturday August 12. GayNZ.com understands the venue will become an Asian tapas bar. Monkey Bar was recently listed on Internet auction site TradeMe, with a $50,000 price tag. Wellington has lost three gay venues in the past three months; with Sanctuary cruise club suddenly closing in June after more than a decade of operation. Co-owners of Pound, Malcolm and Scott Kennedy-Vaughan, say they will open a new venue for the LGBT community in the New Year. Ref: GayNZ.com (d)
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 10th August 2006 - 12:00pm