SYDNEY AFTER DARK The government is throwing $3.8 million behind Sydney nightlife, but will it make a difference?
BY: Kartya Vucetic
BY: SORA ALBAGHDADI
Sydney nightlife might finally be getting some government attention (try not to get used to it).
This week, the Minns Government announced they’re putting $3.8 million into 33 live-music venues across NSW. It’s in an attempt to keep the state’s nightlife alive. Given the past few months, it could probably use the CPR.
The Venue Upgrade Grants will fund soundproofing, audiovisual equipment, planning advice and staging. Recipients include the Lansdowne in Chippendale, which will receive $150,000 for solar panels and battery installation, and the Brass Monkey in Cronulla, which has been awarded $121,096 for upgrades to its stage, speakers, ventilation and soundproofing.
The Lansdowne in Chippendale will be one of the key recipients of the grant | Image: Alana Dimou, The Lansdowne
And while 25 of the grants will go to local Sydney venues, the full list includes 33 venues from Bathurst and Bega to Newtown and Cronulla.
For over a decade, it’s no secret that Sydney’s nightlife has been legislated and priced into submission. First came the lockout laws, then lockdowns, inflation and rising operating costs. More recently, venues including Mary’s Underground have disappeared altogether.
The Government says its broader Vibrancy Reforms are beginning to shift things. There are now 596 registered live-music venues receiving reduced licensing fees and extended trading hours, 10 Special Entertainment Precincts are operating across NSW and the process for handling noise complaints has changed.
Justlast year, Lorde surprised fans at a listening night hosted at Mary’s (since closed) | Image: Instagram @marysunderground
All are certainly welcome developments. But now comes the $3.8 million question…
Will upgrading venues actually make Sydney want to go out again?
Night-time Economy Minister John Graham is particularly excited about helping venues install screens and visuals, saying they can take the live experience “to another level”. That sounds nice. But getting people through the door remains the harder part.
Aside from the general cost of living plaguing the majority of Sydneysiders right now, there’s also the issue of getting home. Sydney still doesn’t have round-the-clock public transport services, meaning a later night can be quickly deterred by an expensive ride share. After all, nothing says vibrant nightlife quite like calculating the cost of the Uber home before ordering your second drink.
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that venues alone don’t make nightlife. People do.
Sure, you can upgrade the screens, extend trading hours and improve the interiors. But if Sydneysiders can’t afford the night or reliably get home afterwards, none of that really matters.
The $3.8 million is absolutely a start. But if the government really wants Sydney to glow after dark, it needs to make going out possible, not simply make the venues prettier.
