Organisers of Bendigo’s only LGBTI social event are scrambling to find a new venue following the sudden closure of a popular city hotel. 

The Black Swan announced on Tuesday it would cease operation, as would its function spaces, The Perch and Icon Bar.

Monthly LGBTI night Fab Friday has run at Icon Bar for 12 years. 

Friends Alike Bendigo – Central Victoria co-ordinator Jakob Quilligan, whose group runs the evening, was only told of the club’s closure on Monday. 

A party scheduled this week has since been cancelled. 

“It was so unexpected, out of the blue,” Mr Quilligan said. 

He described the event as vital to the social life of his community, a group that was now without a “safe space” to recreate. 

Fab Fridays were also an opportunity for community organisations to promote sexual health and wellbeing initiatives.  

“It was a space people could be themselves, there was always the impetus to be who you are,” he said.

He also said recent events attracted transgender members of the community, for whom the closure would be a “massive blow”.   

“It was beautiful to see the self expression, feeling confident enough to go out in a public space in Bendigo.

“It should be more commonplace, but it isn't at the moment.”

The venue was also scheduled to host the Bendigo Queer Film Festival afterparty in April.   

Mr Quilligan was already searching for an alternative venue for the event, but was keen to hear from licensees interested in hosting the monthly party.  

The new venue should fit 60 to 80 people and be wheelchair-accessible, he said, something the Icon Bar was not. 

It was also preferable the venue had a reputation for being queer-friendly, he said.

“I want to get it back up and running,” Mr Quilligan said.

“The quicker, the better.” 

Black Swan owners Alysia and Andreas Bazzani on Tuesday cited waning foot traffic as the reason for the hotel’s closure.