Party time as unloved Sydney’s Cahill Expressway becomes ‘world’s longest bar’

Sydney’s oldest freeway has never been short of an enemy, but the Cahill Expressway has taken on a very different look this summer.

Sydney’s Cahill Expressway has been turned into a vibrant street party.

Sydney’s oldest freeway has never been short of an enemy – prime ministers and premiers have railed against it, mayors and councillors have demanded its demolition – but the harbourside Cahill Expressway has taken on a very different look this summer.

Until Sunday morning, the much maligned thoroughfare will be the scene of an enormous street party, stretching the length of Circular Quay’s train station, showcasing “the world’s longest bar” at 127m and a light show composed of more than 700 drones soaring high above the harbour.

ELEVATE, the name of the four-day and five-night street festival, is open free to the public, with live DJ and electronic music sets in the afternoons and performances into the evening, including indie duo Client Liaison, Drax Project, Thelma Plum and The Veronicas.

But the centrepiece of the festival, according to organisers, is the 10-minute set of “sky theatre” that attracts thousands of viewers on to the expressway to observe a synchronised drone performance about Sydney’s marine life, floating in between the bridge and the Opera House.

“We’ve been launching from the overseas passenger terminal in Circular Quay for the start of the show at 10.30pm, and it almost looks like a scene from a sci-fi film,” ELEVATE’s exhibitions director Olivia Bradley said.

“Using Sydney Harbour, us-ing the reflection on the water, it’s ­really the perfect kind of amphitheatre for this kind of display anywhere in the world … I think the festival could be the start of a broader push to really lead the way with these displays.

“(Sydney Lord Mayor) Clover Moore said we’d need 6500 drones to replace fireworks, so why don’t we give it a go and get 6500 drones.”

Last year, more than 30,000 tickets were issued for the free event, but it failed to draw a big crowd because of the spread of the Omicron variant in early January.

But creative director Anthony Bastic said he hoped 2023 would mark a new beginning for Sydney’s outdoor festivals such as ELEVATE, with up to 30,000 attendees expected to pass along the converted Cahill Expressway.

“What I’ve noticed since the restrictions were lifted from the pandemic is that people are enjoying their outdoor spaces again … and we can more readily reimagine them,” Mr Bastic said. “I think we’ve rediscovered the joys of the local park, the Botanic Garden, and other spaces like this one.”