Upstairs Cabaret

The venue at 15 Bastion Square has been a staple of Victoria’s vibrant nightlife scene for decades. In 1974, the venue first opened its doors as Harpo’s Cabaret. Harpo’s would quickly establish itself as a live music mecca, hosting artist like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, The Tragically Hip, No Doubt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden, k.d. lang, John Lee Hooker, Our Lady Peace, The Wallflowers, Goo Goo Dolls, and Melissa Etheridge. Harpo’s would close its doors in 1995 after over two decades of operation. The venue would eventually reopen its doors as Upstairs Cabaret. While Upstairs Cabaret would primarily become known for its busy weekends, with DJs and packed dance floors, it still retained its live music roots. Over the years Upstairs Cabaret would host artists like Hopsin, Conway the Machine, Sebastian Bach, Gord Bamford, Aaron Pritchett, and Lee Fields. However, after surviving years of sold-out shows, busy weekends, and closure due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the venue at 15 Bastion Square needed some well-deserved TLC. As a result, Upstairs Cabaret would close its doors early in 2023 for a much-needed renovation and rebrand. This brings us to the current iteration of this storied space. In December of 2023, the venue would open its doors as Upstairs Entertainment. The goal of Upstairs Entertainment is to seamlessly meld the best aspects of both Harpo’s and Upstairs Cabaret, retaining busy weekend dance floors while focusing on promoting premium live performances.