New owners of JD's ready to rock the night away again

TVs, big screens and new booths are being moved into 28 Lydiard Street, where piano bar Uptown used to be.

While the venue will be run under different management, manager Mitch Butterfield said he was keen to pay homage to a long standing Ballarat institution.

Mr Butterfield said there had been a number of birthday celebrations or functions in the space who were looking to stay on after an event, but didn't have anywhere to go.

"They either felt as if they were too old for the age demographic that was upstairs in The Deck, but also too young for the age demographic that The George Hotel has," he said.

"There will be booths on the walls with plenty of seating, there's going to be multiple TVs go up and I have an air hockey table delivered for something a little bit different."

Mr Butterfield said he is aiming for a "dive bar" feel and there will not be TAB betting facilities.

The old form of the sports bar was last open in 2016, before a fire gutted the building.

READ MORE: Relive your favourite JDs memories here

The owners then decided to close JDs after a dispute with council over their liquor licence.

Since different types of hospitality venues have moved into number 28.

In early 2019 a "sausage sizzle on steroids" venue called BOAA BAR opened as a way to raise money funds for the debt accrued by the Biennale of Australian Art.

By June that year, Uptown staff were getting ready to move in.

JD's Bar and Lounge will officially open on Saturday April 15.

The team plans to run a karaoke night on Fridays as well as live music events over the weekend.

"It's always good to encourage those who are starting out and want an opportunity," Mr Butterfield said.

"It may be hard because (locations are in) pretty high demand, you need to know someone sort of in the industry," he said.

Acts like Rob Barron, Troy Elliot and Jesse Zahra have locked in sets for the upcoming weekend in April.

Mr Butterfield encouraged anyone interested in performing to reach out via social media.

JD's will be open Friday to Sunday, 5pm until late.

Mr Butterfield said they are testing the waters this month and will see if they need to adjust hours based on demand.

He said plans for a small share style menu are in the works.

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