Overview
Sydney Harbour is bursting with waterfront bars and boat parties aplenty. But while the Channel V Party Island and those tacky glass-walled party boats provide temporary shindig spaces, we've been missing a permanent go-to floating bar in Sydney. As of February 2015, that hole in the waterfront nightlife market will be plugged, with the triumphant arrival of the Seadeck — a 44-metre long vessel that’s set to become a Harbour-cruising venue, permanently.
The creation of Scott Robertson, Mel Como, Gavin Douchkov and Joseph Ralph, Seadeck is currently making its way here from Europe, ready for launch in February. Robertson used to be involved with Future Music Festival and, if you’ve been hanging out at Double Bay’s Vine or Darlinghurst’s Lift gym, you should be familiar with Douchkov and Ralph’s venue-running finesse.
Seadeck features three vast decks, meaning that, pretty much wherever you are on board, you'll find yourself eye-to-eye with panoramic harbour views. The European-style ship will set up home at a mooring within Rozelle’s Super Yacht Marina. But when it’s not catching up on some post-party shut-eye, you’ll find it travelling between various points, picking up and dropping off passengers around Sydney Harbour.
Entertainment-wise, there'll be a serious focus on music. Handpicked local performers will share bills with major international artists, with the program kicking off as soon as Seadeck gets through the heads. The intention is to create a 'European' atmosphere, reflected in the ship's avant-garde design, featuring natural colours and minimalistic décor. A retractable awning means that you'll never have to worry about the weather washing out your night.
"Sydney for me is without question one of the best cities in the world and you would be hard pushed to find a more impressive backdrop for events," says Robertson. "Seadeck gives us the opportunity to take full advantage of this and brings with it a distinct flavour of European lifestyle culture. Our aim is to produce events which will be globally regarded and we have lined up some of the biggest international artists and club brands in the world for our debut summer season. Whilst Saturdays will focus predominantly on international headliners, Seadeck Sundays is all about house music and showcasing some of Australia’s best homegrown talent."
Seadeck will be ready to set sail in February 2015. Check the website for upcoming events.