Melbourne’s longest-running party of its kind — going since 2004, invitation-only, built around theatrical production rather than play. Purr is careful to say it isn’t a swingers party, and that distinction is worth taking at face value.
What it is
Purr produces large themed party nights in hired Melbourne venues. In their own words, “PURR is more than a club night. We craft events” — each one built around a theme, with costumes, performers and a production budget that shows.
The signature piece is the Midnight Show, which the organisers say has run since Purr began in 2004. That makes this the longest-continuously-running event we cover in Melbourne, by some margin.
“Purr is not a Swingers Party”
That’s their sentence, not ours, and it’s the most important thing on this page. Purr describes itself as exploring exhibitionism — a space for women and couples to dress up, perform and be watched — rather than as a lifestyle event where play is the point.
We list it because a great many people in the Melbourne scene go, and because “what’s on” would be incomplete without it. But go with the right expectations. If you’re looking for a swingers night, the venue guides and this weekend’s listings are where to look. If you’re looking for a spectacular, theatrical, dress-up night with an adult sensibility, that’s what this is.
Who can go
Purr describes its events as being for women and couples, and as “discrete, intimate and strictly invitation-only”. Invitation-only means exactly what it says: this is not a night you decide to attend on the day. Plan ahead, and go through the organisers’ own site to find out how they’re handling entry for the edition you’re interested in.
Costume is the price of entry
The organisers’ language throughout is costume-first — “a night of costumes and colour”, with references to leather, lace and adornment. This is a night where people have genuinely prepared, and turning up under-dressed is both an entry risk and, more practically, a way to have a worse time than everyone around you.
Our what-to-wear guide covers general principles, but a themed production night is its own category: read the theme for the specific event and commit to it.
Upcoming
At the time we checked, the organisers had published:
- PURRs Glitterati — Friday 9 October 2026, 9:00pm to 4:00am, at Chasers Nightclub, 386 Chapel Street, South Yarra.
Purr runs a handful of major events a year rather than a weekly calendar, and the venue changes with the production. Their event list is the source of truth for dates and rooms.
Who it suits
It suits people who love dressing up and being seen, couples who enjoy a big theatrical night out, and anyone whose favourite part of the scene is the atmosphere rather than the bedrooms. It suits you less if you want conversation — a production night with a sound system is not where you meet people properly — or if you were expecting a lifestyle venue’s facilities and rules.
Plenty of couples in the Melbourne scene treat Purr as their big night of the year and the weekly venues as their regular life. That’s a sensible way to think about it.
We don’t sell tickets and take no commission — that link goes to the organisers’ own site, which is the only authority on dates, venues, entry and pricing.
Details checked . Venues change things at short notice — always confirm on their own site before booking. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.