The City of Sydney this week endorsed a Notice of Motion that could effectively ban festivals and large-scale events from being held in several key parks across the city. The move is being pinned on climate change causing bad weather and the aftermath of heavy foot traffic, which officials say is damaging turf beyond repair.
A council spokesperson told Tone Deaf that “extreme weather before and during some events has contributed to severe damage in some of our parks,” and that several green spaces had been out of action for months due to ongoing remediation.
The impacted areas include major civic sites like Hyde Park, Sydney Park in Alexandria and Pirrama Park in Pyrmont, all managed directly by the City of Sydney. These parks have previously played host to everything from grassroots festivals to cultural activations, but will now see far fewer events – if any at all.
“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,” the council spokesperson said. “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.”
Thankfully, the city’s bigger music festivals appear to be safe for the moment. Events like Good Things, Knotfest, Laneway and Listen Out are held in venues like Centennial Park and The Domain, which are under state government control. These spaces are better equipped for large-scale setups and less prone to long-term damage from vehicles and staging.
Instead of public parks, the council is now looking into laneways and vacant building lots as alternative locations for live music. They cited existing events like Vivid Sydney and Le Jolly as examples of successful use of streets and civic spaces. It was also suggested that the Council “encourage more frequent use” of venues like Tumbalong Park “with more affordable pricing structures” and reasonable costs for staging and power infrastructure to “make the venues more accessible to the industry.”
Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham told Tone Deaf the council’s decision “does not make sense.” While both state and city have backed 24-hour trading and a revived night economy, Graham said a blanket ban on live music in parks runs counter to that shared vision. “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,” he said.
The City of Sydney currently facilitates over 200 events a year, ranging from community-run to cultural festivals. This latest move raises serious questions about the future of public spaces and how much room is left in the city for live music.
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