Pennylane

Elsewhere, one of the Gold Coast’s premier nightspots, is all set to celebrate its seventh birthday with the addition of a new outdoor space, Pennylane.

Stretch (aka Simon Whicker), who handles Elsewhere’s publicity and events, says if last year’s birthday bash is anything to go by, the night, themed ‘2010: A Space Odyssey’, will be a big one.

“Elsewhere birthday is notoriously one of the craziest nights of the year. The sixth birthday, ‘Circus Paradise’, was still to this day one of the best parties I myself, and a lot of the people who commented, have been to. It’s crazy, everyone gets into it like nowhere else I’ve seen. Everyone dresses up and there are a lot of kooky, creative areas for people to enjoy.”

Elsewhere has expanded in recent months and Pennylane, the open-air area launched in late August, now offers a creative outlet for Elsewhere goers.

“We’re looking forward to having the most fun out there. We’ve seen the potential of having an outdoor creative area for many, many years now but we’ve just wanted to work with authorities the whole time to get everyone happy and satisfied. Now it’s happened and we have it, it gives us a lot of creative scope to do outdoor concepts and play with new ideas that we haven’t been able to previously.”

With alcohol-fuelled violence a problem in clubbing precincts, the team at Elsewhere is proud that Pennylane, as an outdoor space, has the capacity to keep people safe and off the streets.

“People can come to the venue and don’t need to leave. We provide a really safe environment and work hard to maintain that. Whereas before, people had to go out on the street and be subject to whatever behaviour is out there on the street. So we’re protecting our customers. That’s what it’s all about. Providing an environment where you feel safe.”

Aside from the safety attribute, Pennylane will allow Elsewhere to offer exhibitions, cinema and installations to customers looking for a venue that is more than just a club.

“With Pennylane, we’ve got a lot more scope to operate earlier, and provide early evening entertainment. Some of the ways we’ll be doing that will be cinema and exhibitions. A big one for summer is Pennylane Cinema and we want that to be an attraction. That’s something our existing customers can enjoy and appreciate but we’ll also reach out to a wider audience.”

GET YOUR SCI-FI ON AT ELSEWHERE’S 7TH BIRTHDAY, ‘2010: A SPACE ODYESSY’, HAPPENING ON FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17.