The Snakepit reopens in St Kilda this November under Ganley Group

The Snakepit, the basement venue beneath The George Hotel on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, will reopen this November after a year of dormancy. Ganley Group, the Melbourne hospitality operator, is reviving the space as a late-night cocktail bar and live-music venue. An official opening date has not yet been announced.

The venue has traded under several identities since the 1970s, variously operating as a dive bar and a nightclub before it closed last year. Ganley Group has commissioned Studio Y and designer Eleisha Gray to redesign the interior. The project is a repositioning rather than a rebuild — the operator is buying a dormant basement footprint and resetting its trading format for a weekend-only, entertainment-led model.

Founder Liam Ganley framed the revival in terms of market gap and neighbourhood identity. "We're so excited to bring The Snakepit back to life and reimagine a space that holds so many stories of Melbourne's past," he said. "This style of late-night cocktail bar and live-music venue is few and far between in St Kilda, and we think it's going to be a fantastic addition to the suburb."

He went further on positioning. "St Kilda has always had an unconventional character, and we want to bring back the beautiful disorder and revelry that the original Snakepit was once known and loved for – hoping to bring something different for locals, Melburnians and visitors alike."

How will the venue trade?

The operating schedule is tight and deliberate: Friday through Sunday only, as a bar. Live music runs every weekend, spanning jazz, blues and DJs. That is a three-day trading week, a structure that concentrates labour and entertainment costs into peak demand nights rather than carrying a seven-day roster in a precinct where midweek basement trade is uncertain.

The drinks program leans on classics rather than innovation — a menu-engineering choice that reduces ingredient complexity and bartender training load. Food follows the same logic: supper club-style service built on charcuterie and shareable small bites, a low-prep kitchen format that suits a basement bar without full back-of-house infrastructure.

Where does it sit in the portfolio?

The Snakepit becomes the seventh venue under Ganley Group. The portfolio now includes The Windsor Castle and The Carlton Club, both acquired this year, plus The Fifth Province, Angus & Bon, The Bay Hotel Mornington and Freddie Wimpole's. Two acquisitions in a single year plus a basement reopening signal an operator in active expansion mode across Melbourne and Mornington.

The mix spans pubs, bars and dining venues, and The Snakepit adds a late-night, live-music component the group did not previously list. For a company whose holdings skew toward established hospitality rooms, a weekend-only entertainment basement is a different bet — smaller hours, louder identity.

Ganley Group has not disclosed fit-out costs, capacity or headcount. The venue's official opening date will be announced closer to November.