Merivale

Merivale’s ivy is a 600–1,000-capacity Sydney CBD club whose scale separates it from a standard one-room dance venue. The show space sits inside a multi-level precinct built around open-air areas, gardens and a rooftop pool; its present club setup uses a d&b audiotechnik sound system. For concertgoers, that means a production-forward night with room to move between distinct spaces, while the headline action remains DJ-led.

A $150 million leap into the CBD

The site had been earmarked for National Australia Bank’s Sydney headquarters before Justin Hemmes bought it with the adjacent Lowes building for a combined $35 million. The resulting ivy project was under construction in 2007, soft-launched in December 2007 and moved into full operation during 2008 as a $150 million Merivale complex of bars, restaurants, pool areas and performance spaces.

Its build came with real pressure. Hemmes later described council resistance and financing setbacks severe enough for him to consider abandoning the project. The venue then pivoted hard into large-format nightlife: Pacha Sydney launched late in 2012, and 2013 upgrades added motorised winches, expanded rigging, LED-screen support and lighting infrastructure for aerial performance and major club production.

What the floor feels like now

ivy’s music policy centres on disco, house and techno, with its recurring Above party serving as a flagship. Programming mixes local Australian emerging DJs with international names, making it a useful choice for listeners who want a club night built around selectors and sustained dance-floor momentum. The room is open-air and multi-level, with d&b sound and sizeable production capability; capacity varies with the event setup across the 600–1,000 range.