Making it easier to get the party started in streets across Newcastle

Street parties and festivals could become a more regular fixture in five locations across Newcastle as part of a pilot program designed to create vibrant, activated spaces for the community to enjoy.

City of Newcastle will receive $500,000 from the NSW Government for the Newcastle Street Events Made Simple project to help make it easier and more cost-effective for organisers to deliver free-entry, street-based community events.

View from Nelson Street during the Wallsend 150th celebration

This is part of the NSW Government’s Vibrant Streets Package - Permit/Plug/Play Pilot Program, an $8 million program being rolled out by Transport for NSW to 16 Councils across the state.

“When I first came to office and was briefed on the cost of opening a street for an event, I was told it could cost up to $122,000 on each occasion. I couldn’t believe it. We are now fixing this," NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said.

“We want to make these events cheaper and easier for councils to run, so they can host them more often. These events bring communities together, having fun and supporting local businesses without blowing the family budget.”

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said community events provide significant social, economic and cultural benefits to Newcastle.

"We know from the success of our own events just how important these occasions are for local communities, with the recent Wallsend 150^th celebration involving more than 35 businesses and attracting over 7,500 people to the festivities along Nelson Street," Cr Nelmes said.

"Local events provide important opportunities for social inclusion and a shared sense of identity as people to come together and connect with other members of their community.

"Events also provide a drawcard for visitors from outside the area, all of which deliver a beneficial flow-on effect for the local businesses from the increased foot traffic and trade during the event, as well as the potential to encourage repeat visitation.

"This funding will allow City of Newcastle to develop a suite of resources to decrease the cost and complexity for organisers to host street-closure events on Darby Street and Laman Street in Cooks Hill, Beaumont Street, Hamilton, Wharf Road, Newcastle and Nelson Street, Wallsend."

Resources developed under this program will include off-the-shelf traffic management plans and a street-events guide.

The grant will fund the installation of supporting street infrastructure such as onsite power, water, safety barriers and/or bollards to further reduce the costs involved in hiring equipment.

The Permit/Plug/Play Pilot Program is part of the NSW Government’s Vibrant Streets Package and is complemented by the Open Streets Program, which will temporarily transform main streets into vibrant and welcoming public event spaces, with over 130 events planned across NSW.

City of Newcastle received $150,000 from the Open Streets program to support the delivery of the recent Wallsend 150^th celebrations in Nelson Street and the upcoming New Annual Festival First Night event in King Street.