Meet Me In Darlo Festival
- Rhianna Dews
- Nov 28, 2018
- 6 min read
Updated: Jul 26, 2021
Continuing the fight against the Sydney Lockout Laws, Keep Sydney Open have announced their upcoming music festival, ‘Meet Me in Darlo’, taking place in Darlinghurst, Sydney this Saturday the 21st of October 2017.
According to Maddy Dwyer, Meet Me In Darlo Festival organiser and Keep Sydney Open representative, "It's going to be unlike anything we've done before." With the 12-hour music festival kicking off at 3.00pm, festival-goers can expect to hop from club to club, visiting some of the hottest venues Darlinghurst has to offer.
"We have live bands and local singer-songwriters. Some of the shops will be doing fun activities during the day. It's been a huge testament to the local businesses and community who have all been so keen to work together," says Maddy. With a wide range of activities and attractions, there'll be something for everyone.
Maddy invites people "to come on down, wander the streets and tell your mates to ‘Meet Me in Darlo' this Saturday."
It seems there's never a dull moment in Darlinghurst, where variety truly is the spice of life. "Meet Me in Darlo' is about showcasing the colourful neighbourhood of Darlinghurst. We wanted to really highlight how many great venues and businesses are working hard to offer Sydney-siders a good time – whether that's through music, shopping or wining and dining," Maddy says.
The festival is a chance to shine a light on Darlinghurst and remind Sydney locals that despite some downfalls since the Lockout Laws were introduced, our city still has a lot to offer and hasn't lost its touch.
In February 2014, the NSW State Government enforced Lockout Laws across all licensed venues within the Sydney CBD Entertainment Precinct, establishing 1:30 am cut-offs to the entry of new patrons, and last drinks at 3:00 am. The Lockout Laws came about immediately following two isolated ‘one-punch' fatalities in Kings Cross, aiming to reduce alcohol-fuelled violence in Sydney and prevent similar events from occurring.
Sydney venues, musicians, cultural organisations and key stakeholders united to form Keep Sydney Open shortly after the Lockout Laws were enforced, "We thought they were unfair and a knee-jerk reaction to some high-profile media stories about so-called ‘one punch' attacks in the inner city."
Since the introduction of the Lockout Laws in 2014, pubs, clubs and other businesses in the Sydney CBD Entertainment Precinct have seen a dramatic loss in patronage and profit, driving many to close their doors.
Maddy claims, "There has been a huge drop off in foot traffic, which has meant a huge drop off in patronage for bars, restaurants and clubs. Patrons are also going out for less time and spending less money. Revenue is down across the board at big venues, but also the kinds of business that offer services in late night areas, such as take away food outlets and taxis. So many businesses, and ultimately, livelihoods have been affected."
Joel McDermott, Marketing and Events Manager at Potts Point Hotel, has worked in Sydney's Nightlife Industry for fifteen years and believes, "the right for a community to enjoy themselves in a safe, fun, enjoyable, late and unshackled way is something that I have always felt was vital when looking at the fabric of what makes a city great."
According to Joel, "unfortunately, this was taken away from Sydney through poorly thought out draconian laws that did little to curb the problem of alcohol-fuelled violence, or overcrowding as a result of inadequate late-night transport options or inadequate community-based policing strategies in the area."
Joel’s involvement with Keep Sydney Open and their initiatives is predominantly due to the "inequality and ineptitude" he found in the Lockout Laws and the inaccuracy of statistics released by the government. "They (the Lockout Laws) did, however, decimate the foot traffic in the area by up to 80%, which then reflected a less than 20% decrease in Crime statistics, a figure that was then spun and dragged out of context to champion the new laws' success in decreasing alcohol-fuelled violence."
Reports released by the NSW Government suggest the Lockout Laws have led to a decrease in alcohol-related violence in the designated lockout areas. However, these reports fail to mention significantly reduced foot traffic in the Lockout-zone or the sudden increase in violence in the surrounding suburbs.
Joel feels "the state government has a huge platform to spin inaccuracies to help champion their cause and even bigger problems when it came to transparency surrounding their decision making. Namely why the Star and proposed Barangaroo sites were exempt (from the Lockout Laws) and also why selected Sydney areas were targeted."
It seems that the NSW Government's immediate reaction to the two separate one-punch incidents was to employ a blanket solution, rather than determining alternative methods that target the problem head-on.
Maddy believes, "more policies and education around safe drinking," and the introduction of "more educational programs to target cultural issues Australians have with aggression and violence," could have been more effective solutions. "We need policies that target root causes of issues, not ones that merely provide an ineffective, Band-Aid solution," Maddy explains.
Alongside the rest of Keep Sydney Open, Maddy agrees that there is a need to reduce violence and antisocial drinking in Sydney, however, she believes this could have been achieved without sacrificing Sydney's "cultural vibrancy." According to Maddy, some innovative, practical solutions to the violence could be "late-night transport and buskers on the streets which can help keep people on the streets in a good mood."
Over the years Keep Sydney Open's determination and hard work has paid off with a few victories, "…from petitions to be tabled in NSW Parliament through to protest rallies. We've held meetings with politicians, and put pressure on them by actively growing our supporter base. We have been heard, we've had some wins, thanks to our supporters," says Maddy.
These wins include extended liquor shop trading hours, the opportunity for live music venues to apply for a lockout extension to 3:30 am (rather than the standard 3:00 am), and most recently, a ban lift on serving unmixed alcoholic-shots past midnight.
"We don't want to give up the fight though. We really want to see Sydney hailed as one of the great cities in the world like London or New York. We still think we have a long way to go, and supporting a vibrant late-night economy is a major part of that".
Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has recently shown her support for the fight, by proposing a collaboration with Keep Sydney Open to establish a plan to revive Sydney's nightlife.
"We give feedback to the City of Sydney Council both formally and informally when and where we can. Thankfully, the current Council is very keen to cement Sydney's status as a global city, and they recognise that a missing piece currently is having a vibrant late-night economy that offers more than just alcohol-focused activities."
Initiatives like ‘Meet Me in Darlo' help to continue the fight for a better city by sparking a collective nostalgia for the vibrant Sydney of the past that many so fondly remember.
In July, Keep Sydney Open held a similar festival in Kings Cross, ‘Meet Me in the Cross'. "We had amazing feedback from the venues. For example, the World Bar had their best night revenue-wise since the lockout laws were introduced. Many commented how it was great to see the streets filled again," Maddy says.
Coming up to five years since the laws came into place, for the younger generations, Sydney's post-lockout landscape is all they've ever known. "The laws have been in place for so long now; some younger people have never even really had the Cross on their radar as a place to go for DJ's and clubbing. It was great to have an opportunity to show them that the Cross does know how to party," explains Maddy.
As a part of ‘Meet Me in The Cross', Joel hosted an event in Potts Point Hotel's Kit & Kaboodle nightclub space. "It was fantastic to see the room full to its 250-person capacity. That hasn't happened since the lockout laws were introduced," says Joel. The event also provided an opportunity for "young and up and coming DJ's to play on a line-up next to established and well-respected members of the DJ community, something that isn't all that common anymore."
Evidently ‘Meet Me in The Cross' was a huge success, hence the continuation of the tradition with the highly anticipated ‘Meet Me in Darlo' festival.
"Venues across the area have had a hit to patronage, but that hasn't stopped their passion for music and giving local talent a leg up in their music careers. Their participation in ‘Meet Me in Darlo' speaks to how much they just want to get on with keeping Sydney fun and vibrant, despite the lack of supportive policy. They're walking the talk!" says Maddy.
Alongside the impressive list of Darlinghurst venues that will be participating in the festival, a diverse list of artists of all different genres and musical backgrounds have shown their support by agreeing to perform at the event. Maddy urges people to, "follow Keep Sydney Open news in the coming weeks" for "an exciting announcement!"
For now, Keep Sydney Open have put down their pitchforks, and instead are approaching the situation in a positive light, by establishing exciting initiatives and events, striving to inject some life back into Sydney.
Maddy says, "We've made our voices heard about the lockouts and what this government has done to the vibrancy of the city. It's time to take it back, and the best way to do it is to get behind the innovative and creative small businesses who are working hard to put on fun parties and cultural activities."
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