Sydney’s newest and wildest social darts concept bar – Flight Club – has hit a ‘bullseye’ with Christmas in July and a winning formula for its global takeover.
Flight Club combines state-of-the-art dart-watching with a sophisticated setup and great social atmosphere. The patented dart tracking technology, designed by Flight Club’s own astrophysicist, tracks the darts and instantly scores for the games.
Perth-based NightOwl Entertainment Group unveiled the new Sydney instalment of Flight Club in May, taking over a three-storey heritage building on Harrington Street in the Rocks, with a $10 million fit-out creating a visually stunning themed environment for 450-pax that looks equal parts swanky London Pub and 1800s vintage fairground.
Summoning its northern hemisphere heritage, throughout July the Club has invited players of any and all standard to come and enjoy “a unique festive experience that combines holiday cheer with the thrill of social darts”.
Attendees can book one of 12 ‘oches’ to play, accommodating up to 12 people at once. Food and drinks are served to the table, and Christmas sweaters, paper crowns and Santa hats are optional but highly encouraged.
The Festive promotion sees punters enjoy two-hour sessions, accompanied by bottomless Christmas-inspired canapés and desserts, and three festive drinks, including mulled wine and hot cider, to the tune of Christmas jingles mixed in with the venue’s Brit Pop playlist.
Guests pay $79 per head for the two-hour sessions and specially designed festive menu featuring turkey, cranberry and baby spinach sliders, mini roast pork Yorkshire puddings, mini waffle baskets, and mini sausage rolls. This is followed by bottomless desserts of coconut crumbed Christmas rumbles with brandy custard, granny smith fruit mince pies with spiced cream, and apple and blueberry crumbles with cinnamon dusting. Vegetarian and gluten free options are available on request.
For whetting Christmas spirits, players are offered a choice of three drinks per session, from a toasty menu of hot ciders, mulled wines, house wines, and pints, or on-trend mocktails or soft drinks. These join the Club’s bespoke cocktails, such as the Passion Dart-a-Rita, and Trophy Cocktails for two, served, naturally, in a trophy.
Virtually assuring attendees remember their good time, Flight Club sends a selection of highlight videos to patrons the following day, inviting them to relive experiences with “your Flight Club Story”. The team reports these Stories emails have become a pivotal element in the marketing strategy. Making it easy for patrons to relive and share their memories, the follow-up marketing finds ongoing success by enhancing the overall experience, amplifying word of mouth, and generating valuable feedback.
Sydney continues from the two highly successful Flight Clubs that have opened in Perth, carrying on the tradition set down at 20 locations across the UK and US. In 2024 this number increases to 27, with Sydney, as well as Dublin, Liverpool, Oxford, Philadelphia, Washington DC – and Melbourne, slated to open in November.
NightOwl brought a couple of key hires from the UK, including Frank Burden, who has been at Flight Club since 2018, successfully opening venues in Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, and Cardiff. He joined NightOwl in July 2023, relocating his family to Sydney. Founders Steve Moore and Paul Barham also flew out to aid with the launch of Sydney.
Flight Club has welcomed over a million guests since its launch in 2015, witnessing more than 100 million darts thrown.
“When I first stepped foot into Flight Club in London, I just knew I had to bring it here to Australia. We are on a mission to bring the joy of Social Darts to all Aussies, with plans to expand to Melbourne later this year and additional venues to follow,” says NightOwl CEO David Heaton.
