Fallout after community station Eastside Radio cancelled 40-year celebration at Bondi Pavilion

A beloved community radio station was forced to postpone its 40-year celebrations after it was forbidden from playing music at a major community event space at Bondi Beach.

Tony Smythe, inset. Bondi Pavilion.

A beloved community radio station was forced to postpone its 40-year celebrations after it was forbidden from playing music at a major community event space at Bondi Beach.

Eastside Radio revealed that despite planning the ‘birthday party’ for months in advance, it had recently discovered it would be required to turn down music at the event held next to the Eastside FM studio in Bondi Pavilion after 7pm so as not to clash with an Open Air Cinema screening.

The radio station – which moved into Bondi Pavilion through a licensing agreement with Waverley Council when the renovated facility reopened in September 2022 – was also told it would not be allowed to have a bar at the pavilion provide drinks for party goers “due to licensing restrictions” at the venue.

An archival photo of Eastside Radio managing director Tony Smythe. The station has a licensing agreement to operate out of Bondi Pavilion.

Eastside Radio explained it had postponed the event in an email shared with its community last week, which stated all tickets purchased would be immediately refunded.

The tongue-in-cheek email suggested the last-minute cancellation came after the organisation concluded the event “was becoming less like a party and more like a gathering of people to stand around and discuss the weather”.

“Not what we had hoped and certainly not the kind of PARTY we’ve been known for SINCE 1983,” the email read.

“We’ve been in discussions about this event since the space was first booked at the start of the year so to get this close and still be so far is doubly disappointing”.

Founded in 1983, the community station for the City of Sydney and Eastern Suburbs supports Sydney’s grassroots theatre, dance, film, design, literature and Indigenous arts communities through its radio programs.

Eastside Radio managing director Tony Smythe said planning the event had been a challenge but hoped to see a positive outcome next year.

“The biggest challenge we faced with our party was trying to set up a bar less than 20 metres away from the licensed premises in the same venue with a short turnaround,” Mr Smythe said.

Bondi Pavillion 2022

Bondi Pavilion hosts numerous events, including the GQ Man of the Year awards red carpet earlier this month. Pictured is pop singer Troye Sivan. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers.

Singer, songwriter and influencer Peach PRC performs at the launch of the Sydney Worldpride at Bondi Pavillion. Picture: NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard.

“However we are very lucky to have Waverley Council as good friends because we’re both working towards the event taking place in 2024.”

A Waverley Council spokeswoman said it had been assisting with the proposed celebration, but said the event was not run by the council, which owns and operates the pavilion.

“The event is an Eastside event, not a council event,” the spokeswoman said.

The council said for any event to be able to serve alcohol, the Liquor & Gaming NSW needed to be notified well in advance.

“This is a requirement for any event that involves the sale and consumption of alcohol in NSW and is not a restriction imposed by the Pavilion,” a spokeswoman said.

“All venue hirers at the pavilion are subject to conditions around liquor licensing and being liable for any damage to property. We are excited to work with our friends at Eastside for their rescheduled event,” she said.

The council said they spoke with the senior liquor licensing officer to find other options but there weren’t any.

“With regards to the open air cinema, the noise could have been managed so that both events could take place. The pavilion is a shared space and noise bleed is always a consideration for any use of the venue by hirers and council.”

“Other events involving amplified music at the pavilion have been successfully run in this manner,” she said.

The council is in the midst of a major push to revive the eastern suburbs night time economy by relaxing restrictions on local businesses.

Plans for a massive entertainment precinct at Bondi Junction, which would explore extending opening hours in the commercial centre from 11pm to 2am, were unanimously approved by the council at a November meeting.