Sydney's night-life to be revitalised with $5m to boost live music, street markets

The NSW Government is pouring money into Sydney’s night-life economy with the hunt on to find the equivalent of London’s vibrant Soho.

The hunt is on to re-boot Sydney’s night-life economy and find the equivalent of London’s Soho or New York’s Meatpacking District.

The NSW Government is pumping $5 million into funky night time areas to boost live music, street markets, festivals and cool dining and drinking spots.

“Sydney is open again and we want to make the most of our freedom by boosting night-life across the city, allowing businesses to flourish and more jobs to be created,” Jobs, Investment and Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said.

Latha Jagadeeswaran joins Erik and Arielle Levy for a drink at the bar Since I Left You in the Sydney CBD. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Crowds of people in restaurants and bars in Soho, London. Picture: Belinda Jiao/SOPA Images/LightRocket

The new Uptown program will turbo charge areas like Chippendale, Redfern and Harris Park and will be available to suburbs across Sydney from Bondi to Brookvale and Parramatta to Campbelltown.

“It’s been a tough year for the night-time economy, but this investment will help areas across Greater Sydney get back on their feet and find new opportunities to thrive and remain resilient,” Mr Ayres said.

A series of pilots have been green-lit for funding through Investment NSW to get them jumping with marketing campaigns, professional support grants and cash for activations.

Gansevoort food market in Manhattan New York City.

The push is even more important in the face of Covid’s new Omicron variant. Michael Rodrigues, 24-Hour Economy and Covid-19 Recovery Commissioner, said Sydneysiders needed to get out more than ever.

“Sydney is full of unique local neighbourhoods with huge potential to come alive at night. This new program will support local businesses to light up their local area and make them attractive places to visit at night,” Mr Rodrigues said.

“We will work with local communities and local councils to better tell the stories of this incredibly diverse city. We want to celebrate and promote what makes each area so special to residents. And what residents love, visitors want to experience,” he said.

That message resonated with 23-year-old office worker Arielle Levy who was delighted to be able to spend time in the Since I Left You bar in the city after restrictions were lifted.

“I think it is so important to get people out and enjoying their suburbs and the city at night again,” she said.

“We need to remind people why they love this fantastic city and get them out and smiling.”