Important status update: 10 Bar is no longer trading under that name. The Dunedin venue at 10 The Octagon was redeveloped and reopened as Catacombs in early 2019. Events advertised from 2021 to 2026 are therefore Catacombs events, not 10 Bar events. The premises remains licensed as Prohibition Smokehouse and Catacombs Nightclub, with the latest licence renewal extending to November 2028.
Events and Programming
For anyone searching for 10 Bar events, the useful distinction is between the venue’s historic identity and its current programme. No verified events have been found under the 10 Bar name from 2021 through 17 September 2026. The same central Octagon premises has continued as Catacombs, booking late-night electronic music, drum and bass, house, hip-hop, themed dance parties, student events, daytime club sessions and occasional community-focused shows.
The current programming is strongly dance-led. Recent listings have included UK and Australian drum-and-bass artists, touring DJs, local support acts, Re-O Week parties and multi-DJ showcases. Verified examples from 2021 included AC13, Born on Road, Upgrade, K Motionz, DNB Allstars, Alcemist and Goddard, Culture Shock, Terrence & Phillip, Rollcall, The Afterparty and Alix Perez. These bookings show the venue’s long-running preference for bass music and high-energy club nights rather than seated concerts. ticketfairy.com
The 2022 and 2023 programme continued in the same direction, with Delta Heavy, Phibes, Sota, Critical Impact, Jappa, Buunshin, Levela, Ben Snow, Bru-C, Subsonic, Turno, Document One, DRS, A Night of Drum & Bass XL, SOTA and Amplify. The venue also hosted Re-O Week and 360-degree rave formats, making it particularly relevant to visitors looking for touring electronic acts rather than conventional live-band presentation. ticketfairy.com
In 2024, documented bookings included Crossy, Napes, Savage with Wax Mustang, Reintroduction, Kormak and This Is Inja. The 2025 programme broadened the audience with Future DJ, an Otago student music-development event that put emerging DJs in front of judges and a live crowd, as well as major bass bookings such as K Motionz, Pola & Bryson and Serum with Inja. ticketfairy.com
Announced or documented 2026 programming has included Broderbeats during O-Week, a house-focused night with Marten Hørger, ROVA’s drum-and-bass tour, Metrik, Grafix, Sigma and a charity event headlined by King Kapisi and Wax Mustang. A September 2026 emo and pop-punk night was also listed, showing that the venue can move beyond strictly electronic music when the event concept suits its club layout. No confirmed 2027 or later programme was found in the sources reviewed.
Recurring programming tends to cluster around Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, O-Week and Re-O Week, touring electronic-music circuits, themed parties and student-focused celebrations. The current venue describes Fridays as live-gig nights featuring international acts and local artists, while Saturdays are oriented towards club music, a large dance floor, lighting effects and the venue’s ball pit.
Tickets and Booking
There is no current 10 Bar box office because the venue operates under the Catacombs name. Tickets are normally released on an event-by-event basis, with early-bird, first-release, later-release and final-release tiers used for larger touring shows. Popular bookings can sell out before the final release: the 2022 Bru-C event was advertised as sold out, while the 2024 Savage and Wax Mustang event had earlier price tiers marked sold out before its final release.
Recent verified examples suggest a broad working range of approximately NZ$20 to NZ$60, depending on the artist, release stage and booking fees. ROVA’s 2026 event was listed from NZ$19.99 to NZ$34.99, Together After Dark from NZ$17.50 to NZ$38.50, and Savage with Wax Mustang reached NZ$60 before fees at the final release. These are examples rather than a permanent price list.
For popular shows, buying during the first release is the safest approach. Check the event’s age rating, start time, final entry time and whether the ticket is general admission before paying. Door sales should not be assumed: some shows are promoted with limited capacity, and the venue’s small-room format can make late entry difficult when a touring act has strong demand.
Private functions are also available. The venue advertises flexible hire options, DJ equipment on request, lighting options, VIP areas and a mezzanine that can be configured for private celebrations, corporate gatherings or combined full-venue events.
About 10 Bar and Its History
10 Bar was a late-night bar and nightclub in the lower Octagon, serving Dunedin’s student and nightlife market. A reliable source for its exact opening date has not been found, but it was clearly established by 2008, when it was one of the lower-Octagon businesses involved in a large temporary rugby-event village. The wider Ellis Hospitality group also identified 10 Bar among its Dunedin venues during the late 2000s and 2010s.
The venue’s historic identity was based on late-night dancing, DJs and high-volume club music. Documented performances included Shapeshifter, L.A.B and Sons of Zion in 2014, DJ Sir-Vere and Che Fu in 2016, DC Breaks in 2017, and TC and Simula in 2019. Those bookings place 10 Bar within Dunedin’s broader bass, hip-hop, reggae and electronic touring circuit.
In early 2019, the space was substantially renovated and relaunched as Catacombs. The redevelopment introduced new flooring, white marble bars, skull decorations, gothic-style visual elements and a more explicitly themed underground atmosphere. The redesign was presented as a response to a gap in Dunedin’s nightclub market, with an emphasis on VIP booths, a lounge overlooking the dance floor and a more powerful sound system.
The site is part of the Octagon Commercial heritage precinct. The building at 10 The Octagon is identified by Dunedin City Council as a character-contributing commercial building, although the interior nightclub fit-out is not presented as a separately protected historic interior. Its importance is therefore primarily cultural and urban: it occupies a central nightlife address beside the city’s major civic, restaurant and entertainment venues.
Seating and Layout
This is a standing nightclub rather than a theatre with numbered seats. The main experience is a dance floor, bar areas, raised or separated sections and a mezzanine. The venue’s public function information gives a total capacity of 504 people, while an earlier technical specification sheet recorded 506. The current public figure should be treated as the better guide for present planning.
The mezzanine is the clearest published seating configuration: it can accommodate up to 100 people standing or 70 seated. It is intended for private functions and can be combined with the main venue. A historical technical sheet also recorded a 30-person VIP area and a cordoned section that could serve as a green room, but those details may relate to an earlier operating configuration.
There are no published room dimensions, fixed theatre rows or permanent reserved-seat maps. For a concert-style night, the main floor gives the closest view of the DJ or performers and the strongest sense of the lighting and bass. The mezzanine is more suitable for groups wanting a wider view, a little separation from the densest part of the crowd or a private booking format.
Getting There and Parking
The former 10 Bar and current Catacombs premises is at 10 The Octagon, in central Dunedin. The entrance is directly within the city’s main civic and nightlife area, close to St Paul’s Cathedral, the Town Hall, restaurants and other bars. Dunedin Railway Station is approximately 500 metres from the Octagon, described locally as less than a five-minute walk.
Public transport is centred on the Dunedin Bus Hub on Great King Street. All city-bound Orbus services run through the hub, making it the most useful interchange for visitors travelling from North Dunedin, the suburbs or the university area. From the hub, walk south towards the Octagon and follow the pedestrian approaches around the civic square. Night-service availability varies, so check the service for the return journey before entering the venue.
Central parking is metered or paid, and the council introduced Sunday charges in parts of the CBD from 2 November 2025. For 2026/27, examples include Great King Street and Lower Moray Place car parks, which charge by time, while Filleul Street is listed at NZ$3.50 per hour on weekdays and NZ$2 on Saturdays and Sundays. On-street core and inner-zone parking is listed at NZ$4 per hour during the charging period. Check signs carefully because rates, time limits and Sunday enforcement vary by location.
Inside the Venue
Expect a dark, immersive club environment rather than a quiet bar or seated concert room. The current design centres on skull imagery, marble-effect bar surfaces, a dance floor, themed lighting and a ball pit. VIP booths and areas are available, and the venue can provide DJ equipment and lighting options for private events.
The technical atmosphere is built around high-output bass reproduction. An earlier venue specification lists four RCF dual 18-inch powered subwoofers, two JBL VTX-F15 two-way loudspeakers, a Crown four-channel power amplifier, networked signal processing and wall controls. A 2019 report also described four subwoofers built into the stage and five additional subwoofers in the ceiling. Because the detailed specification is historical, it should be treated as a guide rather than a guaranteed current inventory.
The earlier lighting inventory included moving-head units, RGB lighting, LED fixtures, a hazer and DMX control. The current venue continues to advertise configurable lighting and describes its regular programme as featuring large-scale lighting effects. Visitors sensitive to flashing lights should check the event description before attending; some promoters specifically warn that moving and flashing lights may be used.
Food service is not the main function of the nightclub. The wider premises includes Prohibition Smokehouse, but club-night food, coat storage, merchandise, Wi-Fi and specific toilet facilities are not consistently detailed in the published venue information. Avoid assuming that a restaurant, cloakroom or merchandise counter will be operating during every event.
Nearby Amenities
The Octagon is one of Dunedin’s easiest areas for combining dinner, drinks and a late show. Prohibition Smokehouse operates at 10 The Octagon, while Vault 21 is also located in the Octagon precinct. The surrounding central city contains additional restaurants, bars, accommodation and late-night food options within walking distance.
For a ticketed show, arriving 30 to 45 minutes before the advertised start is sensible, particularly for a touring act or O-Week event. Earlier arrival allows time for parking, the queue and ID checks. On standard club nights, the busiest period may be later than the advertised opening time, but the timing depends on the promoter and the headline act.
What Makes This Venue Special
The defining feature is the transformation from an ordinary Octagon nightclub into a deliberately theatrical underground club. The Catacombs concept uses skulls, dark decoration, marble bars, VIP areas and a ball pit to give the room a recognisable identity. That visual treatment distinguishes it from Dunedin’s smaller live-music bars and helps explain why touring bass-music promoters use the venue for rave-style shows.
The premises also illustrates how Dunedin’s nightlife has changed. 10 Bar belonged to an earlier student-club circuit that included large late-night venues and occasional city-wide hospitality events. Catacombs retained the same central footprint but shifted the emphasis towards immersive production, touring DJs, specialist bass nights and themed experiences. The 2025 Future DJ event and the 2026 charity concert show that the venue can also support local artist development and community causes, not only commercial club nights.
Its economic contribution is best understood as part of the central-city hospitality cluster rather than as a separately measured venue impact. The Octagon businesses have historically participated in temporary licensed areas, rugby crowds, student events and large nightlife weekends. Council records confirm that the surrounding businesses have used extended licensed areas and event-related road closures to manage major crowds, although no public study isolates the contribution of 10 Bar or Catacombs alone.
Visitor Tips and Information
Regular club events are generally R18, and event listings repeatedly state that valid photo identification is required. The 2026 liquor-licence renewal does allow the operator to hold occasional underage, alcohol-free events, such as school-leaver functions, provided the required notice is given and no alcohol is displayed, sold or supplied during the event. Do not assume that a special event has the same age policy as a standard club night. ticketfairy.com
Accessibility requires advance checking. The venue is a basement-style nightclub with a mezzanine, and reporting about Catacombs and other Dunedin clubs identifies stairs and the lack of lifts as significant barriers for people with mobility impairments. No detailed step-free access plan, accessible seating policy or accessible-toilet specification was found in the published venue material. Visitors who need step-free entry should not buy a ticket assuming access is available.
Bring valid photo identification, your ticket and only the essentials. Wear comfortable shoes because most guests stand or dance, and consider earplugs if you are sensitive to loud bass. Check the event listing for flashing-light warnings. Because policies can vary by promoter, confirm bag, camera, re-entry, door-sale and last-entry rules for the specific night rather than relying on older descriptions of 10 Bar.
There is no dress code published as a permanent venue rule in the sources reviewed. Smart casual clubwear is a practical choice, but themed nights may encourage costumes or particular styles. The safest approach is to follow the event information, avoid bringing unnecessary valuables and arrive with enough time for security and identification checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 10 Bar in Dunedin still open?
No. 10 Bar closed under that name in early 2019 after the premises was renovated and relaunched as Catacombs. The address remains a nightlife venue, but current events, licences and venue information refer to Catacombs Nightclub rather than 10 Bar. Search results that still describe 10 Bar as an active club are outdated directory listings.
What replaced 10 Bar?
Catacombs replaced 10 Bar at 10 The Octagon. The relaunch introduced a new underground theme with skull decorations, white marble bars, refreshed flooring, VIP areas and a substantially upgraded club sound system. The current premises is licensed alongside Prohibition Smokehouse and continues to host late-night music and private functions.
Were there any 10 Bar events between 2021 and 2026?
No verified event listings under the 10 Bar name were found for 2021–2026. The events at this address during that period were advertised as Catacombs events. That includes touring electronic artists, Re-O Week parties, themed nights, student events and private or community-focused programmes. The distinction matters when searching for tickets or archived performances. ticketfairy.com
What kind of music is played at the current venue?
Catacombs primarily books electronic and dance music, especially drum and bass, bass music, house and rave-oriented DJ events. It also hosts hip-hop, pop-themed parties, emo and pop-punk nights, daytime nostalgia parties and local-DJ showcases. The recurring pattern is high-energy, dance-floor programming rather than seated acoustic concerts or conventional theatre performances.
What is the venue capacity?
The current venue information gives Catacombs a capacity of 504 people. An older technical specification sheet recorded 506, so event-specific limits may vary according to production, furniture, VIP areas and licensing conditions. For planning purposes, use 504 as the current published headline capacity rather than the older 506 figure.
Does the venue have seated concerts?
It is mainly a standing nightclub with a dance floor, bar areas and a mezzanine rather than fixed theatre seating. The mezzanine can be configured for up to 70 seated or 100 standing guests for private functions. A specific event may add furniture or reserved areas, but standard club tickets should be treated as general admission unless the event description says otherwise.
What is the best place to stand?
For the strongest connection with the DJ, lighting and bass, the main dance floor is the obvious choice. Visitors wanting more space or a broader view should look for a raised edge, bar area or mezzanine position. There is no permanent seat map, and the best location changes with the stage setup, crowd density and whether a VIP section has been installed.
How much do tickets usually cost?
Recent examples range from roughly NZ$20 to NZ$60, with cheaper early releases and higher final-release prices for popular touring artists. ROVA was listed at NZ$19.99–NZ$34.99 in 2026, while Savage and Wax Mustang reached NZ$60 before fees. The price depends on the promoter, artist, release tier and whether the show sells out early.
Is the venue strictly R18?
Regular nightclub and touring events are generally R18, and event listings commonly require valid photo identification. In 2026, the renewed licence also allowed occasional underage, alcohol-free events with advance notice to authorities and no alcohol present. Always check the specific event’s age rule because a special alcohol-free function may have different entry conditions. ticketfairy.com
What identification should visitors bring?
Bring valid photo identification whenever attending a standard club event. Promoter listings commonly state that ID is required, and security may refuse entry without acceptable proof of age. A ticket does not replace identification. International visitors should carry a passport or another accepted photo document rather than relying on a photocopy or a photograph stored on a phone.
Is Catacombs wheelchair accessible?
Published information does not establish a fully step-free route. The venue is underground and includes a mezzanine, while local reporting identifies stairs and limited lift access as barriers at Catacombs and similar Dunedin nightclubs. Anyone requiring step-free access should confirm the entrance, toilet and viewing arrangements before purchasing a ticket rather than assuming the main floor is accessible.
Where should I park for the venue?
Use paid central-city parking around Great King Street, Lower Moray Place or Filleul Street, subject to the posted hours and time limits. In 2026/27, Filleul Street is listed at NZ$3.50 per hour on weekdays and NZ$2 on weekends. Sunday charges apply in parts of central Dunedin, so older advice about free Sunday parking may be wrong.
How do I reach the venue by bus?
Travel to Dunedin’s Bus Hub on Great King Street, where all city-bound Orbus services pass through. From the hub, walk south towards the Octagon and follow the pedestrian routes around the square to 10 The Octagon. Because late-night bus services change by route and day, check the return trip before entering the event.
How far is the railway station from the venue?
Dunedin Railway Station is approximately 500 metres from the Octagon, described as less than a five-minute walk. Walk via Stuart Street towards the central city, taking care when crossing the main roads around the lower Octagon. The station is useful for orientation, although late-night rail services are not the normal way visitors leave a club event.
Does the venue have a powerful sound system?
Yes. The historical technical sheet lists four RCF dual 18-inch powered subwoofers, JBL loudspeakers, Crown amplification and networked signal processing. A launch report also described additional ceiling subwoofers. The precise inventory may have changed, but the venue’s identity remains strongly associated with high-output bass and electronic dance music.
Are flashing lights used?
They can be. The venue advertises configurable lighting, moving-head units, LED fixtures and haze effects, while event promoters have warned that moving and flashing lights may be used. Anyone with photosensitivity or a related medical concern should review the individual event information and make an informed decision before attending.
Can I hire the venue for a private function?
Yes. Catacombs advertises private function spaces, a mezzanine, VIP areas, DJ equipment on request and configurable lighting. The mezzanine is published at 100 standing or 70 seated. Larger bookings may combine the mezzanine with the full venue, while smaller events can use a more private section. Layout and production options are arranged for each booking.
What nearby places are useful before an event?
The Octagon is surrounded by central-city restaurants, bars and accommodation. Prohibition Smokehouse operates at the same address, and Vault 21 is also in the Octagon precinct. The area is compact enough for a pre-event meal, a short walk to the venue and a late-night food stop without needing a car between locations.
What is the most important thing to know before buying a ticket?
Buy for the Catacombs name, not 10 Bar, and check the event’s age rating, start time, ticket release, lighting warning and accessibility information. The former 10 Bar address remains active as a venue, but its branding, layout and programme changed in 2019. Using the old name when searching can lead to obsolete listings and incorrect visitor information.
