Events and Programming
66 Princes St is best known as the former home of Brimstone nightclub and, later, Fifty Gorillas Grill & Venue. It is not currently presented in verified listings as an operating live-events venue. A current event listing for the address reports no upcoming events, while the Dunedin District Licensing Committee’s latest published decision identifies the premises as Fusion of Flavours Indian Restaurant, with an on-licence renewed until 16 June 2028. ticketfairy.com
The most substantial programming period was the Fifty Gorillas era, which began after Brimstone closed for a refit in 2018. The transformed venue operated as a family-friendly restaurant until about 9pm and hosted live bands one or two nights a week. Its owner told the Otago Daily Times that nearly 100 bands appeared during the first year, with the stage at the front of the room and a full-house attendance of 285 for Alien Weaponry.
The programme covered local and touring music rather than one narrowly defined genre. Documented performers included Alien Weaponry, Nadia Reid, Abby Wolfe, Ladi6, SilvaMC, JessB, Bailey Wiley, Same Name Confusion, Lacuna, Commodo, Machete Clan and Hot Donnas. There were also comedy and community events, including the Dunedin Pun Battle Championships, as well as themed and student-oriented nights.
There is no verified programme of performances at 66 Princes St between 2021 and 2026, and no confirmed 2026 or later concert announcements were identified in the sources reviewed. The address instead appears in licensing records as a restaurant premises. This distinction matters: historical listings that still describe Fifty Gorillas as a concert venue should not be treated as current event information.
Historical ticket prices were typical of a small Dunedin music room. A 2018 Ladi6 performance was advertised at NZ$50 and R18, while a 2019 Same Name Confusion and Lacuna show listed NZ$9 presales and NZ$15 general admission. Larger touring or specialist dance events could cost more; prices varied by promoter and event.
Tickets and Booking
There are no current live-event tickets or venue box-office arrangements that can be verified for 66 Princes St. Historical shows used event-specific advance sales, door sales or both. The Ladi6 listing explicitly stated that door sales were available, while the Same Name Confusion and Lacuna listing showed a presale tier followed by a higher general-release price.
For anyone researching an old ticket or archived listing, check the event date and venue name carefully. The address has operated under several names, including Brimstone, Fifty Gorillas Grill & Venue, Indish Restaurant & Bar, Two Fat Indians and Fusion of Flavours Indian Restaurant. A listing under one of the earlier names does not indicate that the same event format or ticket arrangements continue today.
About 66 Princes St
Historically, the address functioned as a nightclub, restaurant, bar and compact concert venue. Brimstone operated as a nightclub for approximately 18 years before its owner decided to change the business model. The resulting Fifty Gorillas fit-out retained nightlife potential but shifted the emphasis towards food, family dining and live music.
The venue’s most reliable published capacity figure is 285 people. That number came from a reported full house for Alien Weaponry during the Fifty Gorillas period and should be understood as an event-era attendance figure, not a confirmed current legal capacity. No current capacity schedule, floor plan or audience-capacity certificate was found.
The site has also had a long commercial life beyond entertainment. Historical newspaper records identify businesses at 66 Princes Street in the early twentieth century, including the drapery business associated with “The Spinning Wheel”. More recent licensing decisions show repeated changes of hospitality operator rather than a single continuous venue identity.
Seating and Layout
During the Fifty Gorillas period, the documented layout included a front stage, a restaurant dining area and a bar-and-food operation. The stage was used for live bands and also formed part of the family dining environment, where children were directed to games such as Giant Jenga and Connect Four before the evening entertainment period.
No authoritative source publishes the room’s length, width, ceiling height, fixed seating plan, balcony dimensions, accessible viewing positions or VIP configuration. The 285-person attendance figure suggests a compact, flexible room, but it should not be converted into an assumed standing capacity or seating map. There is no verified evidence of reserved theatre-style seating, a formal VIP section or permanent tiered viewing.
For historical concerts, the room would have suited close-range general-admission viewing rather than a conventional seated theatre experience. Exact sightlines, sound distribution and the best position in the room would have changed with the band setup, dining furniture and promoter’s production plan.
Architecture, Design and Technical Facilities
The best-documented interior changes date from the conversion from Brimstone to Fifty Gorillas. The refit cost approximately NZ$50,000 and exposed brick walls, built a kitchen wall from beer crates and created a serving counter from parts of a salvaged Commer van. The owner described the van counter as a personal reference to his family’s camping history.
A stage was installed at the front as part of the conversion. That stage supported the venue’s live-music identity and was also incorporated into the restaurant’s daytime and early-evening family use. These details give the former venue a more individual character than a standard black-box club, but they do not establish a protected heritage interior or a specialist concert-hall acoustic.
Dunedin City Council records show that rates relief was granted in 2014 for earthquake strengthening and fire rating work at 66 Princes Street. No published technical rider was found for the venue. Specifications for the PA, mixing console, monitor system, microphones, lighting fixtures, dimming, stage measurements, rigging points, power supply or backstage facilities are therefore not confirmed.
Getting There and Parking
66 Princes Street is in central Dunedin, within the central-city parking and public-transport network. Princes Street is one of the city’s main public-transport corridors, and Dunedin’s Bus Hub on Great King Street is the main transfer point for city-bound services. Visitors walking from the Bus Hub should follow the central-city streets towards Princes Street and check the current stop information for their return journey.
Parking conditions and prices change, so the relevant 2026/27 Dunedin City Council rates are more useful than old event listings. On-street core and inner-zone parking is listed at NZ$4 per hour from 9am to 6pm. Outer-zone parking is NZ$2 per hour, with all-day outer-zone parking listed at NZ$11. Selected Sunday charges now apply in the central city, although parts of Princes Street remain free subject to time limits and signage.
Nearby council off-street options include Great King Street, Lower Moray Place, Filleul Street, Frederick Street, St Andrew Street, Thomas Burns and the railway-station car parks. Published 2026/27 rates include NZ$3 for Great King Street during the day on weekdays, NZ$1.50 after 6pm on weekdays, and NZ$3 on Saturdays and Sundays. Lower Moray Place is listed at NZ$3 during the weekday day period, NZ$1.50 in the weekday evening and NZ$2 on weekends. Always follow the sign at the particular space or building.
Taxis and rideshare vehicles can use the central-city street network, but there is no verified dedicated drop-off bay or venue-operated parking area for 66 Princes St. The site should not be approached on the assumption that a former concert-night loading or drop-off arrangement still exists.
Inside the Premises
Historical descriptions present Fifty Gorillas as a combined restaurant, bar and live-music room. The fit-out included a front stage, exposed brick, a beer-crate kitchen wall and the salvaged-vehicle serving counter. Reviews praised the generous food portions, atmosphere and friendly staff, while one review noted service issues involving a booked table and missing menus. These comments relate to the former restaurant-and-venue operation, not a current concert experience.
The current licensing record describes the premises at 66 Princes Street as a restaurant rather than a nightclub or concert venue. It records a requested closing-time extension to midnight and a licence renewal through June 2028. Current public-facing restaurant material reviewed in 2026 uses the nearby number 58 Princes Street, creating an address discrepancy that visitors should resolve before travelling.
No verified current information was found for concert-style entry procedures, security screening, coat check, merchandise, venue Wi-Fi, backstage access, stage-door arrangements or restroom locations. Those details should not be inferred from archived descriptions of Fifty Gorillas.
Accessibility and Inclusive Facilities
New Zealand does not use the United States ADA system, and no venue-specific accessibility statement was found for 66 Princes Street. The available sources do not confirm a step-free entrance, accessible toilet, wheelchair viewing area, hearing loop, captioning, quiet space or sensory accommodation. Because the premises has changed operators and use, historical assumptions about access are especially unreliable.
Visitors who require step-free entry, accessible bathroom facilities or a particular viewing position should treat those details as unconfirmed before buying or arranging admission to any future event. No current concert programme was identified, so there is presently no verified event access plan to report.
Nearby Amenities
The address is in central Dunedin, where restaurants, bars, hotels and the Bus Hub are concentrated within the wider city centre. That location was useful during the Fifty Gorillas period because audiences could combine a meal, a concert and late-night transport without leaving the central area.
For a future event at the address, allow extra time for central-city parking, roadworks, bus-stop changes and evening pedestrian traffic. Do not assume that a former late-night concert audience, bar service or after-show operation remains in place now that the premises is licensed as a restaurant.
What Makes This Address Significant
The strongest cultural contribution of 66 Princes St came from its short but busy period as Fifty Gorillas. The venue gave Dunedin musicians and touring artists a central room for original music, while also hosting larger national acts such as Ladi6 and Alien Weaponry. The reported appearance of nearly 100 bands in the first year demonstrates a meaningful contribution to the city’s small-venue circuit.
Its character came from the combination of hospitality and performance. Unlike a dedicated theatre, it was built around food, drinks and a flexible stage. Unlike a conventional nightclub, the refitted business deliberately added family dining and a substantial kitchen. That hybrid model reflected the commercial pressure on small bars and helped explain why the site repeatedly changed direction.
The address also illustrates the fragility of small live-music rooms. A venue may have a strong local programme, a documented full house and a distinctive fit-out, yet disappear from event listings within a short period as operators, licences and business models change.
Visitor Tips and Information
The most important tip is to distinguish the address from its former names. “Brimstone” and “Fifty Gorillas” refer to earlier nightlife and live-music businesses; “Indish”, “Two Fat Indians” and “Fusion of Flavours” refer to later restaurant operations documented in licensing decisions. A historical ticket or review should not be treated as evidence of a current show.
Historical events were often age-restricted. The Ladi6 listing was R18, and the 2019 Same Name Confusion and Lacuna listing was also R18. Those restrictions belonged to individual events and should not be generalised into a permanent venue rule.
There is no verified current dress code, bag policy, photography policy, re-entry rule, age policy, door time or security procedure for a concert at 66 Princes St. If the address is used for a future performance, those details will need to be established by the event organiser rather than borrowed from archived Fifty Gorillas listings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 66 Princes St in Dunedin still a live music venue?
No current live-music operation was verified at 66 Princes St. The address was formerly associated with Brimstone and Fifty Gorillas Grill & Venue, but the latest official licensing record reviewed identifies the premises as Fusion of Flavours Indian Restaurant. Current event listings do not show a confirmed concert programme for the address. ticketfairy.com
What happened to Fifty Gorillas?
Fifty Gorillas followed Brimstone after the nightclub closed for a refit in 2018. It operated as a restaurant with live bands, then disappeared from current venue listings. Archived visitor information marks it permanently closed, while later council records document restaurant operators at the same address.
Were there events at 66 Princes St between 2021 and 2026?
No verifiable concerts, club nights or performances at the address between 2021 and 2026 were identified in the sources reviewed. The documented event history is concentrated in the 2018–2019 Fifty Gorillas period. From 2021 onward, available official records concern restaurant licensing rather than live-event programming.
Has 66 Princes St announced any 2026 concerts?
No confirmed 2026 concert announcement or future live-event programme was found for 66 Princes St. The current evidence points to restaurant use, with the latest council decision renewing an on-licence through 16 June 2028. Any future performance would need to be treated as a new event rather than part of an established current series.
What was the largest reported capacity at Fifty Gorillas?
The most reliable published figure is 285 patrons, reported as a full house for Alien Weaponry during the Fifty Gorillas period. This is an attendance figure from a past event, not a current certified capacity. No official seating chart, fire-capacity schedule or current floor plan has been published for the premises.
Did 66 Princes St have fixed seating?
Historical descriptions indicate a restaurant-and-bar layout with a front stage rather than a conventional seated theatre arrangement. The room could be adapted for dining and live bands, but no authoritative source confirms the number of chairs, tables, standing spaces or any permanent reserved seating. Seating arrangements would have varied according to the business and event.
Which notable artists played Fifty Gorillas?
Documented performers included Ladi6, SilvaMC, JessB, Bailey Wiley, Alien Weaponry, Nadia Reid, Abby Wolfe, Same Name Confusion, Lacuna, Commodo, Machete Clan and Hot Donnas. The programme also included local bands, touring acts and community events. These appearances belong to the former Fifty Gorillas operation and are not evidence of current bookings.
How much did historical tickets cost?
Prices varied by show. A 2018 Ladi6 event was advertised at NZ$50, while Same Name Confusion and Lacuna listed NZ$9 presales and NZ$15 general admission. These figures are useful historical examples only. There are no current ticket prices for 66 Princes St because no verified live-event programme is operating at the address.
Were events at the venue all ages?
Not always. The documented Ladi6 show was R18, and Same Name Confusion and Lacuna was also listed as R18. Fifty Gorillas additionally operated as a family-friendly restaurant before approximately 9pm, but that does not mean every performance admitted children. Age limits were event-specific and would have been stated in each historical listing.
Does 66 Princes St have a current box office?
No dedicated current box office was verified. Historical events used advance ticketing, door sales or both, depending on the promoter. Since the premises is now documented as a restaurant rather than an active concert venue, visitors should not arrive expecting to buy tickets at the door for a show unless a future organiser specifically confirms that arrangement.
What is the current business at 66 Princes St?
The latest official Dunedin licensing decision identifies the premises at 66 Princes Street as Fusion of Flavours Indian Restaurant. It records an on-licence renewal through 16 June 2028 and a permitted closing-time extension to midnight. Some current restaurant-facing material uses 58 Princes Street, so the published address is inconsistent and should be checked before visiting.
Is the building heritage-listed?
The sources reviewed establish that the premises has a long commercial history and received council support for earthquake strengthening and fire rating. They do not establish that 66 Princes Street itself is a formally listed heritage building. It is safer to describe the address as historically significant in Dunedin’s commercial and nightlife story rather than assign it an unverified heritage designation.
What interior features did Fifty Gorillas have?
The documented refit included exposed brick walls, a kitchen wall made from beer crates, a serving counter built from salvaged Commer van parts and a front stage. The design was intended to make the restaurant and venue distinctive while retaining nightlife functionality. No verified photographs or technical schedule establish that these features remain today.
What sound system did the venue use?
No published technical rider was found for the PA, speakers, monitors, mixing console, microphones or amplification used at Fifty Gorillas. The venue clearly supported amplified live bands, including a reported full-house Alien Weaponry concert, but that does not identify the equipment or guarantee that any production system remains installed. Technical specifications should therefore be treated as unavailable.
Is 66 Princes St wheelchair accessible?
Venue-specific accessibility information was not verified. Available sources do not confirm step-free entry, an accessible toilet, wheelchair viewing space, a hearing loop or sensory facilities. Because the premises has changed from nightclub and concert venue to restaurant operations, historical assumptions about access should not be relied upon for a future event. Accessibility arrangements would need specific confirmation from the organiser.
Where can visitors park near 66 Princes St?
Central Dunedin offers metered on-street parking and council off-street facilities including Great King Street, Lower Moray Place, Filleul Street, Frederick Street, St Andrew Street, Thomas Burns and railway-station car parks. Current 2026/27 charges vary by location, day and time, so visitors should follow the posted meter or sign rather than rely on an old concert listing.
How do you reach 66 Princes St by bus?
Princes Street is part of Dunedin’s main public-transport corridor, and the Great King Street Bus Hub is the central transfer point for city-bound Orbus services. From the Bus Hub, visitors can walk through the central city towards Princes Street. Stop locations and routes may change as corridor improvements proceed, so the current timetable should be checked for the return trip.
What should visitors do if they find an old ticket for Fifty Gorillas?
Treat it as a historical record rather than proof of a current event. Confirm the date, performer, venue name and event status independently, because 66 Princes St has changed operators and use. The former Fifty Gorillas venue is documented as closed, and no current concert programme was found for the address.
