The City of Sydney is being questioned over the decision to ban events, including music festivals, in public parks.
On Monday, the local government authority endorsed a Notice of Motion that “recognises the difficulties of hosting events in parks due to weather conditions, turf recovery, and the closure of areas of parks due to the remediation.”
A City of Sydney spokesperson told Rolling Stone AU/NZ: “Extreme weather before and during some events has contributed to severe damage in some of our parks which meant areas were unavailable for several months as we undertook remediation.”
The City of Sydney currently manages local parks such as Hyde Park, Sydney Park in Alexandria, and Pirrama Park in Pyrmont.
It’s understood large outdoor spaces like Centennial Park and The Domain which host some of Australia’s major music festivals like Good Things, Laneway, Listen Out, Knotfest and Field Day will not be impacted by the changes as they are managed by state government.
While Rolling Stone AU/NZ has contacted the NSW state government for comment, the City of Sydney did not respond to questions about which specific events will be impacted by the ban.
“Council has requested staff consider the feasibility of using laneways and vacant building lots for live music and cultural events,” the City of Sydney spokesperson said.
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“Council currently facilitates and approves more than 200 events annually on its civic spaces and roadways, ranging from commemorations, charity events and community activations, to commercial promotions, world running marathons and major festivals.
“Such major festivals include ‘Le Jolly Sydney’, the French styled Christmas food and beverage festival occurring across Customs House Square, Loftus Street and Gateway Plaza, and the internationally known ‘Vivid Sydney’, that uses multiple Council civic spaces and streets, including Martin Place again for 2025.
“We’re continuing to review potential options that help balance activating the city and ensuring parks can be enjoyed year-round by the entire community.
“We need to get the balance right to ensure people have access to parks as well as the opportunity to experience outdoor shows and festivals.
“Those larger festival events are better placed in the State Government-controlled parks that have bigger open areas, such as The Domain or Centennial Park. These spaces also include hard surfaces for staging and access, which cause less turf disruption with vehicles bumping in and out.
In a statement given to Rolling Stone AU/NZ, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham, said he was confused by the Council’s decision.
“The City of Sydney is on a unity ticket with the NSW Government in backing 24-hour trading, which is why this blanket rule against the use of public parks for live music or events does not make sense,” he said.
“We would be happy to work with the council on ways to give these spaces over to the community more often for festivals and events.”
The news comes after Graham wrote that “for too long governments have ignored the contemporary music industry” in an opinion piece published on Rolling Stone AU/NZ. Read the full piece here.
