Cultural and creative life

Sydney lockout laws lifted

Our city is open again thanks to restrictions eased in the city centre and on Oxford Street.

Chippo Hotel

The NSW Government has lifted the lockout laws – a move that will breathe life into Sydney’s cultural life and night-time economy.

We encourage people to rediscover Sydney at night and enjoy the diverse range of entertainment options available.

In preparation for this change, we’ve been working with the NSW Government and the hospitality sector to deliver the safe, lively and diverse nightlife Australia’s global city deserves.

Last year, we made massive changes to our planning rules to allow city centre businesses, shops and restaurants to trade late into the night and encourage venues to put on live music and performance.

We’re co-chairing the new Sydney Liquor and Night Safety Operations Group to manage the city’s ongoing vibrancy and safety at night. We’ll also work with NSW police in the City’s CCTV monitoring room to improve safety on weekends.

The Safe Space program will keep providing vital services to help young people avoid late night alcohol-related violence in the city centre. We’ll continue to fund this service.

Since September 2017, the City has approved more than $1.4 million in funding for over 70 businesses through its night-time diversification and live music and performance grants.

Many of our recommendations were reflected in the NSW Government’s Joint Select Committee report on Sydney’s night-time economy, released in September 2019. The City recommended lockout laws be lifted from the CBD and Kings Cross precincts. We also called for improved late night public transport, liquor licensing reform, and new measures to manage growth and avoid saturation of licensed premises.

There is much more work underway with more initiatives and measures to be announced later this year.

Sydney is open again. Let’s work together to breathe life into Sydney’s night-time economy.

See all nightlife events on What's On.

Published 14 January 2020, updated 24 March 2021

More on Night-time