Kim Kardashian, Neil Diamond, JoJo Siwa among celebrities to visit Westfield Parramatta
Most of the Kardashian clan has visited Westfield Parramatta, along with ’90s heart-throbs, sporting stars and music greats – all greeted by the piercing screams of fans. Were you there for the big stars?
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Kim Kardashian, Ricky Martin, John Farnham, JoJo Siwa and Matt LeBlanc share one thing in common besides their fame — they have each visited Westfield Parramatta, much to the delight of their legions of fans spilling over the balconies to get a glimpse of their favourite stars.
While Sydneysiders flock to one of the nation’s largest malls to get their essentials, update their wardrobes or refuel at the food court, Westfield also provides the ideal stage for luminaries to flog their products, movies and meet fans in awe of their many accomplishments.
One of the most famous stars to visit in recent times was reality TV queen Kim Kardashian and her famous derriere who strutted on to centre stage on level 2 on Saturday September 13, 2014, when thousands of hysterical fans flocked to see the beauty mogul spruik her fashion and accessories line, the Kardashian Kollection.
Back then, the star was already one of the most influential social media users in the world with 18 million Instagram followers (that has since grown to a mere 261 million followers) but only the first 200 shoppers in line who purchased that a Kardashian Kollection purchase were allowed to meet the then mother-of-one.
She had just married Kanye West, who was performing at the Entertainment Centre that night for his Yeezus tour.
Despite her massive fame, even Kardashian was insecure about how the visit to the shops would turn out.
“I was just saying to my friends backstage that I always get so nervous having to do an appearance without my sisters, because I wonder if anyone is going to show up so you guys make me very, very proud,” she said.
The then 33-year-old got out her phone for a signature selfie, sending fans from as far as New Zealand and Perth into overdrive.
Many camped outside Westfield the night before so they could secure a prime viewing spot as soon as the shopping centre opened its doors.
News Corp reported how Kardashian told an elated Madison Wright, 18, her hair was beautiful — a compliment that left her close to fainting and prompting the teen to ask if the star could adopt her. Kardashian then told her she was “really cute”.
Melbourne 19-year-old Jayden Mannays told the Parramatta Advertiser he flew to Sydney the night before and got in line more than 24 hours before Kim’s scheduled meet and greet at 2.30pm on Saturday.
“It’s a big commitment if you want to meet the person you love,” he said.
Jayden made the trip to Sydney with his friend Tyra Rochecouste, 18, and her younger brother Bailey, 15, who bought blankets, pillows and foam mattresses so they could camp in comfort.
“I’m so excited to be coming to Westfield Parramatta,’’ she gushed before the visit.
“When we launched our Kardashian Kollection handbags in Australia, we were amazed by the response, and the fact that we’ve been able to expand our line to denim, accessories, hosiery and now apparel and shoes, is really a dream come true.”
They also headed to Westfield to visit Khloe Kardashian the year before when she promoted the Kardashian Kollection on November 21, 2013.
Younger Kardashian half siblings, Kylie and Kendall, are nostrangers to the mall andvisited on November 17, 2015.
Runway model Kendall and cosmetics tycoon Kylie almost didn’t have such a warm reception and were close to being pelted with eggs, leading to a woman being charged with offensive behaviour and three counts of assaulting a police officer.
The pair kept their speeches brief but it was enough to send fans into overdrive as they promoted their Forever New collaboration. Many were still left disappointed when they couldn’t snap a selfie with the pair.
Just like the Kardashians, Hollywood stalwart Drew Barrymore was there to spruik cruelty-free cosmetics Flower Beauty on April 13, 2019.
Fans could carry out the very humbling act of buying make-up from Chemist Warehouse before meeting the E.T. and Wedding Singer star, who hosted a free Q&A and make-up demonstrations followed by a limited meet-and-greet with 50 fans.
The overwhelmed star told fans: “This makes me very emotional because I’m just a woman. I will not ever take a moment like this for granted, ever.’’
Decibels were also off the charts at centre stage in July 2018 when Nikelodeon star JoJo Siwa danced and sang before thousands of young fans donning signature bows to emulate their idol.
In true starstruck style, some youngsters started flooding the shopping centre at 4am to secure a prime position to watch the 15-year-old teen sensation.
The scenes mirrored her free Melbourne show when she attracted a record crowd of 15,000 at Eastlands.
At Parramatta, the pandemonium was matched and the centre court had reached capacity by 10am, meaning fans were urged to head up to levels four and five to watch the performance on a big screen.
In 2010, a youthful crowd swarmed outside Event Cinemas at Westfield to catch a glimpse of teen heart-throb Zac Efron as he promoted his romantic drama Charlie St Cloud, which even drew Parramatta Eels Tim Mannah and Daniel Mortimer.
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