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In one of Melbourne’s many laneways, an annual Christmas Day tradition is in full swing. But this gathering isn’t your typical family lunch.
For almost two decades, Section 8 has held a free event on December 25 at its Tattersalls Lane container bar. It’s grown into a celebration of the local community – and staff pride themselves on creating a space that welcomes absolutely everyone.
Outdoor container bar Section 8 have been holding a free Christmas event since 2006.Credit: Eddie Jim
Advertised on social media as an “Orphans’ Christmas”, the event has existed since the bar opened in 2006. This year promised a barbecue followed by a packed rotation of DJs.
For Eve Eurydice, Christmas is a complicated time of year. As a transgender person, Eurydice said that the holidays can be an especially isolating period.
“[My family] wanted me to do the whole classic ham and baked potatoes but … I’d much rather be here. With my actual family,” Eurydice said.
“I know all the crew here, I’ve been coming here for years … This is a place where I get celebrated for who I am. This feels like a very chosen family sort of place.”
Eve Eurydice at Section 8’s Christmas event.Credit: Eddit Jim
Section 8 is an unusual venue. It’s a small open-air bar of about 200 metres squared with a capacity of 100 people. Staff serve drinks from inside an old shipping container.
The walls are heavily decorated, lined with colourful murals and lush plants. Punters sit on wooden pallets and beer kegs instead of traditional stools.
Or, as described by venue manager Amelia Enticott: “It’s janky, it’s messy, but it’s beautiful and it’s full of colour. It’s like an oasis in the middle of the city.”
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Enticott said that the annual party is one of the most popular days of the year. “We want to put on a Christmas for the community, because without a community, we wouldn’t still be here,” she said.
Friends Gracie Pountney and Edie O’Neill are perched on a seat in the sun at the very edge of the venue. A Southern Hemisphere Christmas is a far cry from what they’re used to at home in Bradford, England.
“It just feels like any other day. It’s really strange. Especially because we’re used to, like, minus 10 degrees,” O’Neill said.
Like many other Brits, O’Neill has spent December travelling along Australia’s east coast. Pountney has been living and working in Melbourne for seven months.
“It’s nice to have a different Christmas,” Pountney said.
Edie O’Neill (left) and Gracie Pountney.Credit: Eddie Jim
At the other side of the venue, Book Kawin is waiting to be joined by a friend of his own. Currently working in Daylesford but originally from Thailand, he took a two-hour public transport journey to come to the event.
“Yesterday we celebrated [Christmas] with my friends. So today is a chill day,” Kawin said. “I think we’re going to stay here. Because a lot of [bars] are closed.”
Like every Section 8 event, admission on Christmas Day is completely free. Enticott said that this is to ensure the venue remains welcoming and accessible for everyone.
“It is those returning people that have come to love this space as much as all the people that work here … It’s like a family tradition,” she said.
“If you don’t have a home, come and be a part of our home for the day … It’s a family event, but we’re all from different ones.”
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