Walkabout, a well-known Australian-themed bar on Birmingham’s bustling Broad Street, has closed permanently. The venue held its final event on Saturday, 12 September, marking ‘One Last Night to Make Some Walkabout Memories’.
Since opening in 1996, the bar has occupied a prominent spot near the Black Sabbath Bridge, a central landmark in the city’s canal area. It was famed for broadcasting major football and cricket matches on large screens and transforming into a vibrant nightclub with DJs on weekends.
Despite its long-standing presence and prominence on the city’s main nightlife strip, Walkabout Birmingham is no longer operational. This closure is part of a wider trend impacting the Walkabout chain; once numbering around 50 venues nationwide, only seven remain today. The Lichfield venue closed last year, rebranding as Bar Home.
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The Stonegate Group, which owns the Walkabout chain, stated that the Birmingham site is “no longer commercially viable.” A company spokesperson commented: “The hospitality sector continues to face significant challenges. After careful consideration and despite our best efforts, we have taken the difficult decision to close Walkabout, Birmingham. We thank our dedicated team for their hard work and our guests and the local community for their support over the years.”
Regarding the future of the Birmingham staff, Stonegate confirmed that most employees have been redeployed to other venues within the group. The company operates a mixture of managed sites and those independently run by tenants.