Brisbane needs 24-hour night-life scene in major reinvention

Brisbane must reinvent itself as a cosmopolitan city with a thriving night-life scene well ahead of the 2032 Games, business leaders say. VOTE IN THE POLL

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Brisbane must reinvent itself as a cosmopolitan city with a thriving night-life scene well ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, civic and business leaders believe.

Industry insiders have told The Courier-Mail that the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was a missed opportunity and that Brisbane needed to cement a 24-hour night-life scene to bring itself into line with successful Olympic cities such as Sydney and Barcelona.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he was determined for the city to “emerge as the new Barcelona of the southern hemisphere” in 2032.

But Mr Schrinner said he had been warned that Brisbane’s “old and weathered” entertainment precinct would need 24-hour trading and serious renovations to make international party headlines.

Mr Schrinner said he would be backing 24-hour trade but he expected there would be “plenty of regulatory hurdles”.

“I believe Brisbane should aim to emerge as the Barcelona of the southern hemisphere with an around-the-clock festival feel that spreads from the traditional inner-city party precincts into our suburbs,” he said.

“Extending trading hours for licensed venues, like clubs, pubs and restaurants, as well as retailers must also be on the table.

“I’ve never liked the state government’s lockout laws and during the Games they should surely go.”

Lauren Brodie at The Prince Consort Hotel in Fortitude Valley is in favour of ramped-up Brisbane night life. Picture: Richard Walker

While the government is yet to consult with key stakeholders such as Drink Safe, Gaming and Liquor and licensed venue associations, The Courier-Mail understands there is an “unofficial assumption” that Brisbane will extend its trading hours similar to Sydney 2000.

“The feelings are a mix of ‘oh my god yes we’re going to make a lot of money’, but there’s so much to be done before then and now,” said Jason Hirt, the owner of Brisbane’s The Prince Consort Hotel.

“The Valley needs a facelift and 24-hour trading; I know owners won’t be asking for much else.

“We had 700 people here for the World Cup final which showed Aussies have that appetite for all sports, so it was a real shame when Australia was playing at 5am we had nowhere open to watch it.

“What we need to do here is lean into it, put Brisbane on the map.”

Ivy Blu Rooftop nightclub owner Trent Redman said the government should consider handing out facelift grants so Brisbane could put its best presentation foot forward.

“Caxton St is one of the oldest entertainment streets in Brisbane so it would be good to see some upgrades there to match the growth of the likes of Queen’s Wharf,” he said.

“Fortitude Valley is an old precinct and some of those buildings are old and weathered and it would be good to fix all that up … refresh the facades, paint jobs, resurfacing footpaths or roads.

“Especially considering the rail will be a big aspect of transporting people around, which will be great, but as soon as you step outside the Metro station you step into that retro aged area.”

Ivy Blue Nightclub co-owner Trent Redman. Picture: Zak Simmonds

The 2032 Games are forecast to provide a $4.6bn boost to Queensland’s tourism and trade economy, but the hot-ticket item on most industry agendas is the introduction of 24-hour trading.

Mr Redman said current trading extension criteria was vague and desperately needed to be reviewed and relaxed before 2032.

He said extended trading hours would help to increase street control and possibly reduce violence in an “unpredictable” Fortitude Valley.

“When they brought it back from 5am to 3am trade, I didn’t see a benefit in that because the dispersion of people was easier to police at that (later) time of morning,” Mr Redman said.

“The biggest thing they’ll struggle with is policing a wider area, whether it be the night-life precinct itself or pushing that night-life out to other areas.

“There may be 200 per cent influx of people, opposed to a normal weekend or night, how is shutting us at 3am going to make it easier for the police?

“We can control what happens inside our venues but not outside, so to me it makes sense to have that later trade or 24-hour trade and take stress away from the emergency services.”

Emma Milikins, the owner of trendy live music venue Miami Marketta on the Gold Coast, said that after her venue was completely excluded during the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the entertain-ment industry would need far better communication to make 2032 a success.

“We were pretty much snubbed … except for this last-minute party they asked us to host for workers after another venue fell through,” Ms Milikins said.

“So were hoping there’s a bit of a shift this time because we’re sick and tired of not being supported or funded, or losing gigs to council ownership.

“I’d like to be positive about the potential but I’m a realist.

“However, we did get really lucky location-wise with the new trams being put in.”

One idea put forward by Mr Redman is a 2032 Games Brisbane night-life app which maps out all scheduled events and trade deals for all participating venues so they don’t have to compete with each other.

“It would show venues that will be screening certain events for the Olympics, where patrons can watch certain events, food and beverage offerings, local festivals, street events, everything that’s on highlighting our art and culture,” he said.

“If licensees come together and brainstorm now I don’t see why that can’t be utilised and we can make a plan to approach the strategy that really showcases what Brisbane can do.”

When asked if the government had made plans to revitalise Brisbane’s night-life ahead of the 2032 Games, a spokesman said announcements would be made “in due course”.