For more than two decades, the SCG precinct (home to two of our city's stadiums, the Sydney Cricket Ground and Allianz Stadium) in Moore Park has been operating under a strict four-shows-a-year limit, preventing many international acts from performing in the Harbour City. So if you’ve wondered why Beyoncé didn't make it to Sydney, mystery solved. Now, the cap has officially been lifted – so Sydney will be welcoming an additional 16 big events per year, a change which has been made to give our cultural lifeblood (and economy) a boost. Does this mean we’ll finally see Queen B? We can dream.
After announcing that the cap would be lifted back in May 2023, the Minns Government has today confirmed the change – lifting the number of events able to be held at the stadiums from four to 20 per year. The additional concerts are estimated to inject up to $120 million a year into the NSW visitor economy, and the impact on our events calendar? Priceless.
“NSW is well and truly open for business. This is a huge win for the NSW economy, and it’s great for live music,” says NSW Premier Chris Minns.
The four-concert-per-year cap was introduced more than 20 years ago following a particularly raucous Rolling Stones concert at the venue that likely annoyed local residents, and although more events throughout the year will likely bring annoyance to the neighbourhood, the change has been made following eight months of consultation with the local community and other stakeholders.
“We’ve listened to the feedback and lifted these restrictions on concert capacity, so that we can get the most from this venue, while including conditions on the approval that takes into account local issues like noise, traffic, parking and social impacts,” says Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully.
As well as one-night events, the new program will also involve two ten-hour festivals (held between the hours of 10am and 11pm). And while most events will stick to the SCG’s current curfew of 11pm, the government has announced one exception: if the Sydney Mardi Gras after-party finds its home in Moore Park, the party will keep flowing into the small hours.
The sporting event schedule, transport arrangements and capacity at the venue will remain unchanged – you can just expect to see more stars (including Pink, scheduled to perform at the stadium in February).
Who are you hoping to see?