Greens leader Shane Rattenbury has attempted to maintain good spirits among his party, which looks set to retain three seats, and with it the balance of power.
A portion of supporters had trickled out of the election night party, dismayed by a swing against the party, before Mr Rattenbury fronted the room at about 9.45pm.
"The Greens have long been the change makers here in the ACT our seat numbers may change, but our determination is constant," Mr Rattenbury told the room.
By the time voting closed at 10pm on Saturday night, Greens MLA's Rebecca Vassarotti, Emma Davidson and Laura Nuttall were set to lose their seats, leaving Mr Rattenbury, Jo Clay and Andrew Braddock in a position to form government with Labor.
"The numbers matter in the Assembly, but it's the result that matters the most, and tonight, the Greens have retained the balance of power in the ACT," Mr Rattenbury said.
"It's a night to celebrate what we've achieved across the last four years, it's a night to celebrate our members, it's a night to celebrate those parliamentarians that have lost their seats. And I particularly want to name Emma Davidson, Laura Nuttall and Rebecca Vassarotti.
The party will lose its deputy leader in Ms Vassarotti, who failed to retain her seat of Kurrajong.
"There's going to be a lot of feelings in this room tonight. It is a mixed night for us, but we have determination," Mr Rattenbury said.
The leader choked back tears at one point in his address as he spoke of the personal difficulty he has faced during this campaign, with his partner currently in intensive care.
"To be a little personally indulgent for a moment and put a shout out to my partner, Louise, who remains the intensive care unit of Canberra hospital. She's on the mend. We'll get there."
'There's just another vibe going on'
Earlier in the night, Rebecca Vassarotti held up a cheerful front, thanking supporters for an "incredible campaign", as it became apparent that she would lose her seat.
The mood had dropped considerably by about 8pm, when hopes of retaining up to four of the party's seats across Canberra looked to be dashed.
"It has been an incredible campaign, and while it hasn't delivered quite the result that we wanted, we have so much to be proud of over the last six months," Ms Vassarotti, the party's Housing Services Minister said, after it was declared that she had been defeated in the electorate of Kurrajong.
She told the room of supporters they would finally get a well earned break from door knocking next weekend.
"You know, sometimes the issue with democracy is that there's just another vibe going on," she said.
"That's what happened, but democracy is really important, it is precious, and the Greens are strong because of every single one of you here.
"So from the bottom of my heart, I just really wanted to thank everyone, particularly from the neighbourhood team.
"You've been out weekend after weekend after weekend, and I promise you next weekend you don't have to do it.
Later she embraced supporters outside of the Greens base at the Polish Club in Turner, in a quiet moment of reprieve from the packed room.
The party could only be confident of one seat as of 8pm, that of party leader Shane Rattenbury, who was yet to arrive at the gathering.
The Greens had held six seats across Canberra after the last election, and had been in a power-sharing arrangement with Labor in the ACT since 2012, when Mr Rattenbury was the only party member in the Legislative Assembly.
They headed into the election hoping to draw votes with promises of faster climate action, cost of living support and enhanced public transport.
Meanwhile at Dickson Taphouse, the mood swelled with "energy and excitement" as Independents for Canberra leader Thomas Emerson looked to gain a seat in Kurrajong.
A suite of independent candidates across the territory sought to challenge the status quo this election, introducing a new level of uncertainty to this vote.
Mr Emerson, son of former federal Labor minister Craig Emerson, quit his job as an advisor to ACT senator David Pocock in order to make a bid for the Legislative Assembly.
Fiona Carrick, an independent not affiliated with Mr Emerson's group, also looked set to gain a seat in Murrumbidgee after a strong volunteer-driven campaign.
