Chris Minns: City Of Sydney Banning Live Music At Parks Is A 'Massive Stitch-Up'

The City of Sydney has banned major events, including live music, from council parks to the ire of NSW Premier Chris Minns.

Following a Motion on the subject, the decision details were published on the City of Sydney website. They revealed that live music events would no longer happen at council parks due to climate change, leading to “severe weather events” and considerable time and money spent on re-turfing grass after major events.

The motion states that after events have occurred, re-turfing affected grass at council parks can cost up to $250,000 and be fenced off for up to 13 weeks.

“Climate change is accelerating severe weather events, and in recent years, increased rainfall in the lead up to and during outdoor commercial events, including the Night Noodle Markets at Hyde Park and Prince Alfred Park, resulted in significant damage to large sections of the parks,” a section of the decision details reads.

While live music events at the City of Sydney parks are now off-limits, the council will still support events such as Mardi Gras Fair Day, the Yabun Festival, and the Pyrmont Food and Wine Festival.

The decision also pointed to the state government and their efforts to improve venues by introducing the idea of a permanent sound shell and ensuring event-ready infrastructure, just like The Domain.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has taken aim at the council’s claims that climate change affects events and instead accused Mayor Clover Moore and the council of not wanting to host events.

“To say this is just in relation to climate change is just a massive stitch-up; I think [the council] should be fair dinkum - if they don’t want to have community festivals, they should just come out and say it,” Minns said (per The Daily Telegraph). “I think [Mayor Clover Moore] has made a big mistake here.”

Minns added, “My government has made big efforts, major strides, to open up more open space in the CBD. We’ve caught a lot of criticism for it, particularly around Moore Park.

“We’re not going to continue to do those kinds of changes if, in the end, they’re going to be locked up and hermetically sealed and people will be stopped from accessing open space.”

Meanwhile, a council spokesperson fired at the NSW government, saying they should decrease prices for promoters looking to book events at The Domain and Tumbalong Park.

They told The Daily Telegraph, “If these spaces were more affordable, there would be more options for live music offerings without events and artists being liable for the cost of re-turfing or limiting residential access to their local park.”

Event promoter Simon Beckingham also noted that the council denied proposals for two new music festivals, which would have taken place in Victoria Park and Sydney Park, respectively. Beckingham said, “We’re lagging behind cities like New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles, and even Melbourne; we’re not in the same league.”