Monkey House Lounge & Cabaret is Beat Fairy Productions' bar and performance venue at 18 Coghill Street, Whitianga — self-described as the coolest bar and performance venue in the Coromandel. It is a licensed cabaret-style space with a fixed stage, lighting and a full bar, built for live performance in every form: music, comedy, dance parties, theatre, visual arts and community events.
The room reconfigures to suit the night, running from fully seated — with a seated capacity of 100 people — through to fully standing, and performers are well looked after: a festival-level PA and music backline mean visiting acts can simply bring their breakables and be good to go. The programme spans international acts to first gigs, with open mic nights, bookable private karaoke, plays and cabaret-style evening shows all in the mix.
Hours run 4pm to 1am, Monday to Sunday, though exact times can flex to suit specific event requirements, so it pays to check the event calendar before heading out. Availability questions and bookings go to events@beatfairy.com.
Monkey House Lounge & Cabaret, run by Beat Fairy Productions Ltd, sits at 18 Coghill Street in Whitianga and does things a little differently from your average seaside bar. Billing itself as the coolest bar and performance venue in the Coromandel, it is equal parts licensed lounge, art space and stage — a room where you might catch an international touring act one night, a local play the next, and a dance party or open mic the weekend after that.
The philosophy on the venue's own pages is simple: "we don't do ordinary." Beat Fairy Productions exists to back artists, build community, and keep live music and live performance alive — one unforgettable night at a time. Monkey House is where that happens in Whitianga.
Plenty of bars put a band in the corner. Monkey House was set up as a cabaret venue first: there is a fixed stage, proper lighting and a full bar, and the room can be reconfigured to suit the night — from fully seated, with a seated capacity of 100 people, through to fully standing for gigs and dance parties.
Musicians get particular love here. The venue runs a festival-level PA and music backline, so visiting acts can, as the site puts it, just bring their breakables and be good to go. That support extends down the ladder too: the team is explicit about backing first gigs as well as established names, and offers to help you make your event a success, whatever shape it takes.
The programme is genuinely varied. Recent fare includes theatre — the comedy play Sexy Laundry has run across multiple nights — alongside cabaret-style evening shows like Diamonds, Decadence & Desire. There are comedy nights, dance parties, and open mic sessions for anyone keen to step up themselves, with registration taken online before the night. Prefer to keep the mic to your own group? Private karaoke can be booked through the website.
Beyond the stage lights, the space doubles as a home for the wider creative community: community talks, short film festivals, group art classes, fundraising events and meetings all find a spot here. As one regular, Kate W., puts it: "The wide variety of Beat Fairy events that occur at The Monkey House are always exceptional. So lucky to have this venue in our community."
Come for a show and you get what the room promises: performance up close, drinks from a full licensed bar, and a crowd that is there for the act rather than talking over it. The venue opens from 4pm, with hours running to 1am, though exact opening can flex to suit specific event requirements — some nights are ticketed shows with their own times, so check the event calendar before heading out.
You will find Monkey House at 18 Coghill Street, Whitianga, 3510. Questions about availability, hire or upcoming events go to events@beatfairy.com, and the events calendar and private karaoke booking pages on the website handle the rest. Whether you are a performer passing through the Coromandel with a guitar in the back of the van, a local after a midweek laugh, or a group keen on a private karaoke night, this little art bar on Coghill Street has probably programmed something for you — and if it hasn't, it is the kind of place that will help you put it on yourself.