Our Projects: The Pulse of the Vibe

Morena Tropic was a specialized, monthly pop-up event series created to introduce the raw, intimate energy of a Caribbean house party to the Gold Coast (Yugambeh) community, utilizing a distinctive non-traditional space.

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Objective: To authentically replicate the close-quarters, high-energy environment of a Caribbean house party, transforming a local daytime venue into a vibrant nightlife hub once a month.

Venue Innovation: Partnered with Morena Espresso, a popular café and creative hub in Mermaid Beach. This required converting the working café/artisan marketplace into a late-night venue, which provided a unique, colourful, and intimate setting distinct from large clubs or bars.

Cultural Immersion: Focused on sharing the full Caribbean party lifestyle experience: high-energy music, spontaneous dance, and a genuine, close-knit atmosphere.

Local Talent Showcase: The lineup spotlighted local Gold Coast, Byron Bay and Brisbane DJs and dancers specializing in the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, offering them a prime platform and ensuring the music and dance was current and authentic.​

Community Intimacy: The café setting successfully fostered a more personal, immersive connection with the music and performers than larger venues, strengthening the local Bendo community.

Creative Adaptation: Demonstrated high flexibility and creative logistics management by entirely transforming a venue with specific daytime operations and inventory into an event space on a tight schedule.

New Audience Reach: Tapped into the existing clientele of Morena Espresso (known for hosting workshops and showcasing local art), introducing the Bendo brand to a broader, culturally curious Gold Coast audience.

Unforgettable Vibe: Delivered a unique, memorable party experience, solidifying Bendo's reputation for innovative venue use and authentic cultural delivery.

​Dirty Tropic represents the flagship monthly event series executed by Bendo Brisbane. This project was established to create a dedicated, consistent, and premium platform for Afro-Caribbean and Global Black music culture within the Queensland market.

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Objective: To establish the premier, high-energy monthly Sunday Sesh dedicated exclusively to the Afro-Caribbean music diaspora in Brisbane (Meanjin).

Format: Regular monthly event (9:00 PM – 2:00 AM) strategically targeting the end of the weekend to maximize attendance and engagement.

Venue Partnership: Securing a high-end, distinctive location by partnering with Dirty Sultan (Fortitude Valley) to utilize their rooftop setting. This choice elevated the event’s aesthetic and unique selling proposition (the "Caribbean Vibe in the Sky").

Cultural Delivery: The project successfully integrated music, dance, and lifestyle elements by focusing on genres like Dancehall, Afrobeats, Soca, Amapiano, Zouk, and Reggaeton, ensuring cultural authenticity and high crowd participation.

 

Market Penetration: Successfully translated the established Melbourne Bendo brand into a thriving, consistent market in Brisbane.

Talent Platform: Served as a key platform for showcasing both local Brisbane talent and rotating Interstate DJs (from Melbourne and Sydney) specializing in diaspora genres.

Community Building: Created a recognized and reliable monthly gathering point, fostering the growth of the local #BendoFam community in Queensland.

Brand Alignment: Demonstrated Bendo's ability to adapt its core cultural offering to diverse, non-traditional venues (rooftops, warehouses) across multiple major Australian cities.

Bendo Thursdays Melbourne is the founding and flagship project of the Bendo AfroCaribbean Vibe movement, launched in April 2018. It serves as Melbourne's longest-running and most authentic weekly platform dedicated to Afro-Caribbean music, dance, and cultural expression.

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• Objective: To establish and maintain the biggest, most vibrant weekly club night, fostering a diverse and unified community (the #BendoFam).

• Atmosphere: Known for its high-energy, "Positive Vibe Only" atmosphere. It’s a stylish, inclusive space designed for dancing, cultural expression, and unity.

• Music Focus: The event is the prime destination for global Black rhythms, built on a foundation of:

  • Dancehall

  • Afrobeats

  • Soca

  • Reggaeton

  • Amapiano

• Talent Platform: Features a rotating roster of local, interstate, and international DJs and performers, establishing the event as a key showcase for the Afro-Diaspora scene.

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The project has demonstrated its longevity and operational strength by successfully transitioning through several key Melbourne venues since its launch:

1. Lion's Bar (Launch Venue, April 2018)

2. Little Red Pocket

3. Marrakech Bar and Nightclub

4. Laundry Bar (until October 2023)

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Bendo Thursdays is the core model that established the Bendo brand, setting the standard for the high-energy, culturally authentic parties that were later adapted for interstate projects like Dirty Tropic (Brisbane) and Sunday Jam (Gold Coast).

Bendo in The Sky is the premium, elevated event series hosted by Bendo . Taking the high-energy party atmosphere and vibrant musical curation of Bendo Thursday and placing it atop one of Melbourne's premier rooftop venues, this event offers a uniquely chic and breathtaking party experience.

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• Location: Hosted at select high-rise or rooftop venues across Melbourne, offering sweeping panoramic views of the city skyline as the backdrop to the party.

• Vibe: It combines the urban sophistication of a rooftop cocktail event with the joyful, dance-driven energy of the Afro-Caribbean Diaspora. It's a slightly more exclusive and visually stunning version of the weekly Bendo event.

• The Soundtrack: The music maintains the signature Bendo mix, delivered by their resident and special guest DJs:

  • Afrobeats - Dancehall - Soca - Amapiano - Reggaeton - Baile Funk

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Bendo in The Sky is the opportunity to #DanceToExpress while taking in the magnificent spectacle of Melbourne's lights. It offers premium cocktails, stunning views, and an unbeatable blend of global rhythms, making it one of the city's most spectacular Afro-Caribbean cultural events.

The Sunday Jam Melbourne was a monthly event that serves as the ultimate Afro-Caribbean Sunday Session (Sesh) in Melbourne with the collaboration of CIC Perth and Bendo Thursdays' Melbourne.

Unlike a standard club night, it begins in the late afternoon/early evening and offers a relaxed "chill vibe" that gradually builds into a high-energy dance party, making it the perfect way to cap off the weekend.

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• Vibe: It is the "home of the AFROCARIBBEAN SUNDAY SESH," known for its unique energy and vibe that encourages guests to "have a switch off, dance, twerk or whine." It is focused on tropical vibes, good company, and dancing until the night ends.

• The Schedule: The event typically runs from late afternoon/early evening (e.g., 5:00 PM or 7:00 PM) until midnight or 3:00 AM, often featuring:

  • Early Chill Sesh: Starting with a more relaxed atmosphere, sometimes featuring reggae sessions, happy hours, and special rum cocktails and Caribbean tapas.

  • The Fire On: The night shifts into a full-scale party, mixing beats and "crazy mashed up" remixes.

• Music Genres: The event is dedicated to the Caribbean and African music diaspora:

  • Afrobeats - Dancehall - Soca - Reggaeton / Ragga - Amapiano - Reggae (especially old-school for the early session) - R&B / Hip-Hop

• Special Touches: Past events have featured theme nights (like Halloween or Easter, where people wearing bunny outfits got free shots), special dancers, and bar card giveaways for the best "Jammers" (people full of energy who can't stop dancing).

• Venues: It uses popular Melbourne venues, including Key Club and Ellora St Kilda (the latter often featuring beach views for a truly tropical feel).

 

Sunday Jam Melbourne is the city's guaranteed source for a long, joyful, and infectious Caribbean party experience designed to bring the tropical island vibes to Australia's shores.

Sunday Jam Warehouse was the premium, large-scale event format used by the Sunday Jam crew, designed to fuse the raw, energetic atmosphere of a converted industrial space on the Gold Coast with a vibrant, extended Caribbean cultural party.

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• Location: Hosted in expansive, open Warehouse settings (like Burleigh Bazaar), providing an immense dance floor and an underground, festival-like aesthetic for a massive crowd.

• Vibe: A true Afro-Caribbean Day Party that runs from early afternoon into the night, allowing guests to soak up the sun and dance into the stars. The atmosphere is high-energy, free, and completely focused on celebrating global Black culture.

The event featured top-tier entertainment, moving beyond a standard club lineup by including:

• Interstate DJs and Artists: A rotating lineup of best-in-class DJs and performers flown in from major Australian cities and abroad, ensuring the highest quality mix of Amapiano, Soca, Dancehall, and Afrobeats.

• Exclusive Live Show Performances: The stage was ignited by exclusive live show performances from some of the best Afro Diaspora dancers, showcasing authentic and contemporary African and Caribbean dance styles.

• Authentic Cuisine & Drinks: The Caribbean lifestyle was fully represented with the availability of specialized food and drink offerings, often including:

  • Caribbean and African Street Food

  • Tropical Rum Cocktails and other island-inspired beverages.

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Sunday Jam Warehouse was a large-scale, one-of-a-kind production—a fully immersive cultural festival that transformed a Gold Coast warehouse into the ultimate destination for an explosive and authentic Sunday session.