Sydney Needs A Permanent Outdoor Music Stage

Calls for Sydney to get a permanent outdoor venue have increased following The Flaming Lips' free concert at The Domain on Saturday night, in which the cost and suitability of the area located on the edge of the city's CBD has come in to question.

As Fairfax reports, the costs in production and facilities for patrons is considerably high given that events at The Domain are usually one-off events with a few exceptions, including the the annual Field Day and 'Carols In The Domain' events.

"The cost of setting up a stage, toilets, all of the equipment that needs to be brought in to stage an outdoor concert is very prohibitive particularly when it's only for a fairly short-term event," Sydney Festival board member David Borger said. 

Borger believes western Sydney would be an ideal for location a permanent outdoor venue, specifically The Crescent in Parramatta as it is a natural amphitheatre and close to public transport. 

In 2014, Sydney Festival director Lieven Bertels​ called for a permanent stage to be built in The Domain, as some of the high costs for holding events there are related to infrastructure. 

"That comes at a real cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it a safe environment, to provide the facilities," he said.

"It's a big thing and there is no income against it."

A 2011 report found that outdoor concerts in The Domain cost 117% more than events in Melbourne of similar size, while the estimated cost of building stages, fencing and temporary facilities were believed to be $730,000.

The Music has contacted the City Of Sydney for comment.