Party between the flags: Purple patches to mark ‘safe’ spots for a night out in Sydney

Popular night-time destinations in Sydney will gain a special accreditation that recognises them as safe and enjoyable spots to visit after dark, under a NSW government plan to boost the city’s 24-hour economy.

The government will assess four districts for “purple flag” status as part of the pilot – the York, Clarence and Kent (YCK) street precinct in the city, Church Street in Parramatta, Marrickville and Illawarra roads in Marrickville, and Lakemba’s Haldon Street – as it aims to bolster Sydney’s nightlife scene after years of disruption.

The purple flag accreditation scheme is similar to the red-and-yellow flags that signal a beach is safe and protected by lifeguards, and is modelled after similar initiatives in Europe and New Zealand.

The designation aims to help people easily identify areas that provide a diverse and well-managed night scene with a range of dining and entertainment options including clubs, bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Investment Minister Alister Henskens said the new program would help position Sydney as a global nightlife destination and improve safety, while 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said the purple flags would become a recognisable tick of approval for going-out destinations.

Rodrigues said it would “further enhance the revitalisation of Sydney’s nightlife”. “We have so many great night-time districts in Sydney and ‘purple flag’ will promote many of the fantastic things they offer,” he said.

The government has been exploring a series of policies designed to revive Sydney’s nightlife as it attempts to recover from multiple blows dealt by years of lockout laws, COVID-19 restrictions, and the shift to working from home.

A separate program trialled in Enmore, which allows venues to extend their trading hours and directs noise complaints to council, was recently extended until next July.

However, the rising cost of living, staff shortages and bad weather have continued to dampen the recovery of nightlife and live music in Sydney. Venues are also contending with young people who have little experience of going out, and a market overcrowded with events and options.

Labor’s night-time economy spokesperson John Graham said he was supportive of the purple flag initiative as a means to organise night-time businesses and welcome people into those areas.

Church Street has been transformed into a lively dining and entertainment precinct in the heart of Parramatta.Credit: Nikki Short

“What it has to go hand in hand with, though, is regulatory reform to make it easier for those businesses to operate. The rollout of that is way too slow.”

He said the entertainment precinct trial rolled out in Enmore should be extended across Sydney, including to the zones that receive purple flag accreditation.

“We should be working out what we can do to back in these purple flag areas with more regulatory reform – it should be about [extended] hours, closing streets, making it easier and more relaxed for businesses to be profitable so that these areas really thrive,” Graham said.

The first four districts – which will be assessed from January – have been chosen to represent a diversity of night-time experiences. The “YCK” corridor running between Town Hall and Darling Harbour has a growing small bar scene, with 18 drinking holes dotted along York, Clarence and Kent streets and laneways.

Church Street in the heart of Parramatta, which will be serviced by the future light rail line, has a lively strip of multicultural restaurants, while Marrickville and Illawarra roads are famous for live music venues and Vietnamese cuisine. Marrickville was recently named the second-coolest suburb in Australia by Time Out magazine.

Haldon Street in Lakemba hosts the Ramadan Nights food market, which attracts about 1 million visitors each year. The street is lined with restaurants and cafés that are mostly not licensed to serve alcohol.

The program is expected to be rolled out more widely next year. Sydney CBD Police area commander superintendent Martin Fileman said the scheme would build confidence “that vibrancy and safety can go together”.

Haldon Street in Lakemba is home to a range of unlicensed venues.Credit: Nikki Short

“It’s good to see businesses working with government and police to create safer places for people to enjoy a night out in,” he said.

About 46 towns or precincts have been awarded purple flags in the United Kingdom since the scheme was introduced in 2012.

Independent Bars Association president Karl Schlothauer said the group was proud to be a part of the CBD pilot. “YCK is a vibrant new precinct in the CBD, and we want to make sure that all our patrons and visitors have the best possible experience when going out,” he said.

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