18+ Event Accessible Dance Drag Party Performance Special Event

Friday 27 Nov

8pm-4am
Fiction Nightclub, 50 Bunda St, Canberra
ONE NIGHT IN HEAVEN — BACK TO OUR ROOTS IN THE CITY!
Heaven returns to Canberra on a FRIDAY night at Fiction (formerly Academy)— Canberra’s true superclub with two rooms, multiple DJs, live performances and pure carefree chaos. A full 1993–2001 Heaven Nightclub reunion, DJ curation by DJ YA YA, bringing the OG Heaven DJs back to keep you dancing.
Relive the 90s and 2000s dance anthems, the DJs you adored, the friends you partied with, and the memories that defined a generation.
Expect Drag Queens, go‑go dancers, performance art, gay anthems, handbag house, club bangers, techno house, and a deep dive into the rave‑soaked roots that made Heaven iconic.
Experience three generations of club‑goers celebrating together.
We honour the club that Sony Music named Canberra’s Most Popular Club in 1993, and more recently awarded Gold at the 2024 MUSICACT Awards for its lasting cultural impact.
Heaven was the place you could be yourself — Canberras first out loud commercial Gay and Lesbain Nightclub. Drag Kings and Queens in full glamour. Art exhibitions. Live music. Theatre. Burlesque. And the best dance music in Canberra.
Hundreds of DJs — local, interstate and international — cut their teeth in the Bak Bar and on the main decks, shaping Canberra’s dance and rave scene until Heaven’s final night on New Year’s Day 2001.
One Night in Heaven is our tribute to those wild, fearless nights when we ruled the world and danced until sunrise.
A SpringOUT fundraiser — supporting art, culture and PRIDE in the Capital. See you on the dance floor!

♿ Accessibility info:
Fiction is an accessible venue with a lift going to both floors.
Strobe lighting will be used

 

SpringOUT

Relive the 90s and 2000s dance anthems, the DJs you adored, the friends you partied with, and the memories that defined a generation.

SpringOUT
Who's Playing

The Line Up

From 1993–2001, DJ YAYA lit up the dancefloors as resident DJ at the legendary Heaven Nightclub, carving out her place as one of the most beloved figures in the scene. Known for her signature hands-in-the-air 'handbag house' sets, YAYA’s infectious energy and passion for vocal house kept crowds smiling, sweating and coming back for more. Her career is marked by unforgettable moments — from playing the iconic Don’t Leave Me This Way event for the National Gallery’s 'Art in the Age of AIDS' exhibition in 1994, to sharing stages with icons like Pete Burns (Dead or Alive) and RuPaul on her fabulous drag tour. Beyond Heaven, YAYA brought her magic to nights like On the Other Side in Sydney and Girlbar in Melbourne, becoming a familiar face and a trailblazer for women in the DJ booth.

Yaya

DJ

From being a promoter, vinyl slinger at UMM & Landspeed, behind the mic at 2XX, 104.7 and eventually nationally on triple j and Ministry of Sound Radio, being instrumental in the rise of Raw FM in the ACT and nationally, penning weekly columns on club culture for The Canberra Times, releasing music with labels like EQ Grey, Vicious, Onelove and Hussle, appearing on stages supporting Deadmau5, Axwell, The Prodigy, Roger Sanchez and Felix da Housecat, to festival stages like Foreshore, Stereosonic, Big Day Out & Creamfields and residencies at Pacha @ Ivy, Chinese Laundry, Onelove & Moulin Rouge, it’s safe to say there isn’t much of the dance music landscape Chris hasn’t lent himself to. Before making the move to Sydney in 2008, Chris continued helping to lay new foundations for Canberra’s vibrant music scene, playing an integral part in shaping Academy as a dramatic leap forward for the city’s night life. Today, Fraser (still 'Freshie' to his friends) helps guide the careers of new generations of producers and artists as Head of A&R for TMRW Music (formerly Ministry of Sound Australia), playing regularly across Sydney and at events like Ministry of Sound Testament, Friction, Back2Rave and The Times, living and breathing dance music at every level.

CHRIS FRASER

DJ

Matt Chavasse first learned the craft of DJing under the guidance of resident Craig C at the Meridian Club, a small but influential gay club in Braddon during the late 80s and early 90s. In 1994, he got his big break at Canberra’s new superclub, Heaven, which had opened the year prior. Very soon, Matt became a Friday and Saturday night resident, sharing the decks with YaYa and immersing himself fully in the world of house and handbag house — music he lived and breathed around the clock. When YaYa later moved to Sydney, Matt stepped into the spotlight as Heaven’s main room DJ on weekends, building a huge following and soundtracking countless unforgettable nights. His sets became synonymous with joy, energy, and the euphoric spirit of 90s clubbing. Now, Matt returns to the booth for Heaven 2 Reunion, ready to take us back with the house anthems that once lit up the dance floor and still move us today.

MATT CHAVASSE

DJ

In the late ’90s, Barton was a somewhat lost ANU law student by day and a dedicated record collector by night, spending his weekends buying underground vinyl from Mr Tim and the good Blake at Landspeed records .. not the crazy Blake who got arrested for taking off his clothes and jumping on a table at the Uni Bar yelling ‘I am God’. Before long, he launched 'Positive' with his best friend and bon vivant Jono Fernandez — it was the start of a night that became one of the most infamous fixtures in Canberra’s counter-culture. Word spread fast, and soon Australia’s underground elite were giving up big-city gigs for the sweaty chaos of 80 bodies in the 'Berra. Still, it was Barton himself — the self-styled Beelzebub of the Back Bar — who regularly stole the show with razor-sharp mixing and command of the smoke machine and strobe. After moving to Melbourne, Barton carried the Canberra underground spirit into bigger cities, while never losing touch with his roots. More recently, he’s returned for special one-offs, including One Night in Heaven, proving that while old dogs may not learn new tricks, the old tricks are still pretty good.

BARRIE BARTON

DJ

"I will never forget the special feeling of finding Heaven nightclub and the realisation that I had found my people. They were some of the best days and nights of my life, dancing and playing that Adamms Family pinball machine and of course playing tunes to all you lovely people. My passion for playing records has never stopped and being behind a set of turntables still remains to my happiest place."

FAT FREDDY

DJ

Following his bakbar & front room sets at One Night in Heaven at the Vault last November, Squid's super excited to be back behind the decks once again to deliver another vibe charged selection of funky bangers and party favourites!

SQUID

DJ

As a Bak Bar regular, eighty_K is best known for her bangin’ breaks and garage. But this year she’s bringing a heavenly house set for your listening pleasure. Expect both OG classics and modern day basslines, with a little something extra to tickle your tastebuds.

EIGHTY_K

DJ

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