After nearly 11 long lived years, Canberra’s unique arcade-bar hybrid says goodbye to its much beloved community.
Reload Bar has shut down following a final party celebrating its closure.
The Owner Marc Brown (and the other owners) organised themed parties throughout March – coming to the final bang on the 22nd of March.
What was Reload Bar?
Reload Bar was arguably a quintessential part of the city’s nightlife for many Canberrans.
It was an arcade, bar, and gaming centre all in one, attracting a wide range of communities.
As you walked into the entrance of the main bar, the gaming theme was prevalent across the inside.
The inside featured cyber-punk neon lighting, a reflective stage for DJs, and a cartoonishly-sized Nintendo switch (which was actually a TV).
The bar frequently had events on, many being uniquely-styled to fit the Bar’s many communities.
One patron reminisced about winning costume competitions, while others remembered the times spent at trivia or game nights.
Next to Reload was an extension with an arcade focus called Token.
The build-up
Leading up to this final crescendo, the bar built anticipation through themed-parties.
Owner Marc Brown said that they tried to include as much of its community as possible in the lead-up events.
This led to punk and emo, country, K-pop, and goth themed nights – in addition to all of the other reoccurring game-night events.
While many would say this is a dent in Canberra’s night time scene, Marc says he has already begun receiving messages about further ventures – although, he says he is not looking to rush into anything.
Canberra’s own WWE
The final party featured live WWE-style wrestling in the laneway behind the bar, amassing large crowds from nearby. The show featured colourful acrobatics and corny acting.
The wrestlers wore outfits befitted to their characters and their corny-er personalities, such as the team Horse-power’s spaghetti-western-styled caricatures.
While the wrestlers mourned the death of their beloved host bar – they seemed more interested in marketing themselves for future events (not to mention their enthusiasm for wrestling).
‘Horse-power‘: an interview with the spaghetti western wrestling duo.
The entertainers began their night practicing moves for their central showdowns in the upstairs part of the bar, above the arcade Token.
The wrestling event turned out to be the explosive start to the night, revving up the crowd for the bar’s send-off.
Inside, the bar had the remaining staff pouring drinks and preparing meals before the later hours. Many patrons began their nights, and enjoyed the many attractions of Reload such as cheap drinks, wings, arcades and consoles.
The bar had post-stamps stuck to TV’s and furniture with pricing for those who wanted cheap closing sale items.
Drinks and food had special sales on for the final night, including merchandise, and giveaways.
The community
Many of the patrons were sad to see the bar leave, but still celebrated the event none the less.
An interview with a Reload Bar patron.
Some of the bar’s patrons, by their own admission, said they felt uncomfortable going to the more ‘mainstream’ bars and clubs.
Those patrons who I spoke to all said they feel welcome and safe at Reload, and that losing the business was disappointing at the least, depressing at the worst.
Group interview with Reload patrons.
While the closing party represents the struggles many local businesses are suffering from ever rising prices, it also highlights the few choices Canberrans have when it comes to what is arguably a lackluster nightlife.
This begs the question: what will replace the iconic bar to service this community? If it were to be replaced at all.
Reload Bar’s owner Marc Brown expressed his sadness closing the business, saying and feeling what many of the bar’s patrons already expressed.
Interview with one of Reload Bar’s owners Marc Brown.
Now Canberra will have to wait and see if a worthy replacement comes to fill the niche that Reload Bar once ruled.
Photos by Lysander Edmond