New UniBar to support live music, local food and drink

Friday, 21 December 2018

The University of Adelaide's new UniBar will have a distinctly South Australian flavour and a full calendar of live music under the direction of respected local festival, music event and bar operators General Admission Entertainment.

Run by Gareth Lewis, Aaron Sandow and Marc Huber, General Admission Entertainment is the team behind Adelaide Beer and BBQ Festival and dozens of music festivals, and The Kings Head, a pub that takes pride in its dedication to serving South Australian-only sourced beer, wine and food.

The University of Adelaide's new UniBar is currently undergoing an extensive $1.6 million fit-out and will open in the second quarter of 2019.

"UniBar was once vital to the social lifeblood of the University of Adelaide. We are now looking to reinvigorate our campus life with a new bar, new operators, and a new approach," says the University's Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Lines.

"The new UniBar is part of a $5 million project to refurbish the Cloisters, ground floor of Union House and surrounding landscape on the North Terrace campus, creating more vibrant social spaces, including indoor and outdoor music and dining, for the benefit of students, staff and the community.

"We're excited to announce that the new operators of UniBar for 2019 are South Australian leaders in food and music events, with a strong commitment to local food and drink producers. They also have a commitment to providing reasonably priced food and drink tailored to our students.

"To help ensure the new operators of the UniBar would be focused on the needs of students, three of our own University of Adelaide students were among the nine-member selection panel," Mr Lines says.

Two of the three Directors of General Admission Entertainment, Gareth Lewis and Aaron Sandow, are themselves former University of Adelaide students.

"I spent many happy hours in the UniBar while studying at the Uni of Adelaide, and our team is incredibly excited to have the opportunity to play a role in delivering the next generation of the UniBar to students, staff and to the people of Adelaide," says Mr Lewis, who is also a Food and Wine Ambassador for South Australia.

"We see UniBar as the cornerstone of the cultural fabric of student life and vital to the live music scene in Adelaide. The new UniBar will value and celebrate the past, while evolving to bring an updated experience to students, including an outstanding line-up of music acts.

"With our focus on live music and arts performance, we aim to encourage students, staff and other members of the community to remain on campus longer and be part of a vibrant and dynamic venue," he says.

Under General Admission Entertainment, the new UniBar's drinks offering will have a commitment to 75% South Australian product, with the remaining 25% showcasing Australian craft beverages. The food will be a combination of set, month-by-month and seasonal pub dishes, augmented by new offerings from local chefs, pop-ups and "food truck"-style culture.

Further details about the new UniBar will be announced in 2019.


Photo (from left): Gareth Lewis, Aaron Sandow and Marc Huber from General Admission Entertainment.

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