Popular nighttime haunts across the city are gearing up to send a stark message of what the state’s nightlife is like without music, entertainment and fun.
The initiative, kick-started by the Night Time Industries Association and Independent Bars Association, is in support of the Vote Music campaign. The initiative seeks to ensure that political parties and voters alike think about a NSW where music, performance and entertainment don’t exist in our venues.
At 9.30pm on Friday, March 24, venues such as the Abercrombie, the Marly, Stitch Bar and Earl’s Juke Joint will all shut the music off for five minutes.
Night Time Industries Association CEO Mick Gibb says the action is about reminding people of the crucial role a vibrant nightlife has in our state, and just what it feels like when the music stops.
“Without the night time sector, the vibrancy and excitement in NSW will totally disappear. There’s been great progress to improve Sydney’s nightlife but we can’t throw our hands in the air and say, ‘job done’.
“If we don’t have a world class nightlife offering we won’t be a world class city where skilled workers want to come and live. Pretty harbours and beautiful beaches only get you so far, you need a cultural offering and live music to match.
“This initiative isn’t about telling people who to vote for. It’s about making a clear statement that the night matters and that live music matters by supporting the Vote Music campaign.”
The bold statement coming on Friday night, all five minutes of it, is a timely one. Democracy Sausage Day – sorry, the NSW State Election Day – is the following day on Saturday, March 25. (FYI, pre-polling is now open for those who don’t have time to line up at their local school hall – here’s how you can vote early.)
Music and nightlife are big topics around this state election. When we sat down with the NSW Labor Party leader Chris Minns, he told us that Labor plans to invest big-time in live music venues with a $100 million package. He said: “We're going to create 'Sound NSW' [like Screen NSW] to be an advocate for live music… I think there's a chance for NSW to be the live music capital.”
Sydney WorldPride recently brought a big boost to Sydney’s nightlife vibes, transporting us back to a time before lockouts and lockdowns. Here’s to keeping the good times coming!