In protest of the city’s lockout laws, 39 Sydney bars, pubs and venues have opted to temporarily cease service from 6pm on Friday night in an effort to draw attention to the city’s vulnerable nightlife.
The protest is about getting voters’ attention ahead of the state election on Saturday, and educating them on what parties support the city’s arts and nightlife scene.
In a press release, the organisers for #UniteForTheNight explained the importance of this protest.
“Only two days out from the election and with polls suggesting a possible hung parliament, the campaign, led by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has called on Sydney venues to rally together in one last bid to highlight political party policies regarding the night-time economy,” the statement reads.
“At 6pm bars will cease service, turn up the lights and turn off the music with venue owners standing on the bar to grab a mic and have an important conversation with their patrons. They’re asking Sydneysiders to care about their nightlife and stop the over-regulation strangling venues, directing patrons to compare each parties’ night-time policies via an election scorecard prior to Saturday and to vote accordingly.”
Service will cease at 6pm, and will resume normally about 10 – 15 minutes after.
Some of the venues that support the #Unite For The Night movement include favourites like The Courthouse Hotel, Bungalow8, The Lansdowne Hotel, Albion Hotel, Bank Hotel, Opera Bar and more.
For the full list of venues participating in #UniteForTheNight, head here.
