More than 200 pubs nationwide will be banned from hosting Invasion Day (known to people who condone colonisation as Australia Day) events in 2025 as their owners seem to have finally acknowledged that January 26 is a day of “sadness” and “hurt”.
Australian Venue Co has informed the managers of its pubs and bars — which includes many iconic establishments across the country — that it will not be participating in any celebrations of the day next year.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, a spokeswoman for Australian Venue Co said it celebrates “what makes Australia great” in its establishments throughout the year.
“Australia Day is a day that causes sadness for some members of our community, so we have decided not to specifically celebrate a day that causes hurt for some of our patrons and our team,” she said.
Which venues have banned the Australian Day celebrations?
Australian Venue Co is the country’s second largest pub group, after Endeavour, and owns more than 200 establishments across the nation.
With its recent announcement regarding Australia Day events, venues such as Sydney’s Bungalow8 and Cargo, Adelaide’s The Colonist and Parkside Hotel, and Brisbane’s Port Office Hotel and Regatta Hotel are expected to be affected.
Victoria’s Esplanade Hotel, Prince of Wales, Duke of Wellington and Garden State Hotel will also no longer host Australia Day events — GOOD!
Earlier this year, Woolworths, Big W and Aldi announced that they would no longer be selling Australian Day merchandise in their stores ahead of Jan 26. The move was met with some pushback, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton calling for a boycott against the shops for their decision to nix Australia Day items.
Many have called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to change the date of the holiday or cancel it altogether as it marks the beginning of British colonialism in Australia.
However, Albanese has seemingly rejected calls to change the date.
The post 200+ Pubs To Ditch Australia Day Events In 2025 As Owners Finally Recognise It’s A Day Of ‘Hurt’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
