Marrickville – the suburb deemed one of Australia's very coolest by yours truly here at Time Out – is the next area to gain Purple Flag status. The Illawarra Road and Marrickville Road sections of the suburb have been officially recognised by the global-accreditation program, Purple Flag, which marks areas as great spots to hang out at night, based on vibrancy, safety, accessibility and a diversity of options.
It's also been announced that the Purple Flag program (which has been trialled through a few Sydney suburbs) is set to go statewide. After four successful pilots in YCK laneways in the CBD, the Parramatta Eat Street precinct, and Lakemba’s Haldon Street, the program is set to go state-wide. Intrigued? Read on.
Back in early 2023, YCK laneways in Sydney CBD was chosen as the Harbour City’s first Purple Flag district, joining more than 90 locations in the UK, Ireland, Sweden and New Zealand as a recognised night-time zone. As well as helping signify the night-time offering of a precinct to visitors, the Purple Flag program also provides a set of criteria for businesses and councils to help improve their offering – with guidance given on how to improve transport access, security, lighting and diversity of experiences. Before being granted Purple Flag status, precincts are assessed on all of these categories, meaning our night-time offerings across NSW should start to look a whole lot more accessible, varied, safe and exciting as the program is rolled out across the state.
After the success of the first Sydney pilot at YCK, Purple Flag status has been granted to three additional precincts across Sydney, with Marrickville’s Illawarra and Marrickville Road precinct being the latest addition to the program.
While it's the excellent selection of small bars that earned YCK laneways its title as a Purple Flag district, and the diverse foodie offerings in Parramatta and Haldon Street Lakemba, it's Marrickville’s line-up of live music venues that helped the Inner West suburb land Purple Flag accreditation.
Within Marrickville’s Purple Flag precinct, you’ll find live music most nights of the week at Lazybones Lounge (which is open till the wee hour of 3am on Thursdays to Saturdays), and a buzzing weekly line-up at nearby Gasoline Pony. Then there's the nearby Camelot Lounge, Butcher's Brew Bar, the Factory Theatre and more. Not to mention the fact that it's basically the world's craft brewery capital.
“This is about supporting the growth of vibrant, diverse night-time precincts right across the state with public safety at the forefront,” says Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham.
From now on, councils across NSW can start to use Purple Flag guidelines to improve their after-dark offerings, and then apply for accreditation once they’ve met the standards set by the Purple Flag program.
“I look forward to more Purple Flag districts in the coming year as we expand the program and help thousands of people across the state identify safe, diverse and vibrant precincts to eat, dine or dance the night away,” says 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues (one of the Time Out Sydney Future Shapers for 2024).
Keen to learn how our after dark experiences could be transformed? You can learn more over here.
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