Waverley Council Proposes Revival of New Year's Eve Festival at Bondi Beach
Plans to bring back Shore Thing festival to enhance community connection and celebrate local music.
Waverley Council is taking steps to revive the Shore Thing festival at Bondi Beach, an event that last took place in 2014 and attracted large crowds for its vibrant New Year's Eve celebrations.
The council initiated an expression of interest process last month, aiming to bring back this iconic festival.
Historically, Shore Thing featured high-profile acts such as Skrillex, Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, and The Chemical Brothers, with audiences reaching up to 15,000 attendees.
Councillor Michelle Stephenson expressed her motivations for the revival, noting personal memories of attending the festival in the late 2000s.
She stated that the community has expressed a longing for such events, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted a sense of disconnection among locals.
"Live music is one of the key factors we want to utilize to bring energy back to Bondi," Cr Stephenson commented.
Mayor Will Namesh supported these sentiments, emphasizing the role of musical events in fostering a lively community atmosphere.
In recent developments, Bondi Beach hosted a beach party for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, organized by the Mardi Gras organization in both 2023 and 2024. Despite this, the event faced attendance issues last year, resulting in a reported loss exceeding $1 million.
Waverley Council has appointed a new event producer, Fuzzy Events, which previously organized the Shore Thing festival before its cancellation.
While Fuzzy Events has publicly welcomed the prospect of reviving the Bondi celebration, it remains uncertain whether they will intend to submit a proposal for the new festival.
Olly Arkins, managing director of the Australian Festival Association (AFA), advocated for the festival's revival during a recent council meeting, framing it as a significant opportunity for Sydney to reclaim its status as a leading global live music destination.
Arkins highlighted that festivals provide essential platforms for local artists to perform in front of significant audiences, positively impacting their career development.
However, the festival landscape in Australia has faced challenges, with notable events such as Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass, and Byron Bay's Bluesfest either cancelled or paused.
In addition, Sydney currently hosts another key New Year's festival, Field Day, which operates in the Domain and has been annually held since 2002, featuring both local and international music acts.
Cr Stephenson articulated her aspirations for the festival, indicating a desire to feature a mix of well-known acts along with opportunities for emerging Australian talent.
She mentioned several potential artists, expressing excitement about the diverse possibilities a revitalized New Year's Eve event at Bondi Beach could present to both audiences and performers.
The council initiated an expression of interest process last month, aiming to bring back this iconic festival.
Historically, Shore Thing featured high-profile acts such as Skrillex, Snoop Dogg, Fatboy Slim, and The Chemical Brothers, with audiences reaching up to 15,000 attendees.
Councillor Michelle Stephenson expressed her motivations for the revival, noting personal memories of attending the festival in the late 2000s.
She stated that the community has expressed a longing for such events, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted a sense of disconnection among locals.
"Live music is one of the key factors we want to utilize to bring energy back to Bondi," Cr Stephenson commented.
Mayor Will Namesh supported these sentiments, emphasizing the role of musical events in fostering a lively community atmosphere.
In recent developments, Bondi Beach hosted a beach party for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, organized by the Mardi Gras organization in both 2023 and 2024. Despite this, the event faced attendance issues last year, resulting in a reported loss exceeding $1 million.
Waverley Council has appointed a new event producer, Fuzzy Events, which previously organized the Shore Thing festival before its cancellation.
While Fuzzy Events has publicly welcomed the prospect of reviving the Bondi celebration, it remains uncertain whether they will intend to submit a proposal for the new festival.
Olly Arkins, managing director of the Australian Festival Association (AFA), advocated for the festival's revival during a recent council meeting, framing it as a significant opportunity for Sydney to reclaim its status as a leading global live music destination.
Arkins highlighted that festivals provide essential platforms for local artists to perform in front of significant audiences, positively impacting their career development.
However, the festival landscape in Australia has faced challenges, with notable events such as Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass, and Byron Bay's Bluesfest either cancelled or paused.
In addition, Sydney currently hosts another key New Year's festival, Field Day, which operates in the Domain and has been annually held since 2002, featuring both local and international music acts.
Cr Stephenson articulated her aspirations for the festival, indicating a desire to feature a mix of well-known acts along with opportunities for emerging Australian talent.
She mentioned several potential artists, expressing excitement about the diverse possibilities a revitalized New Year's Eve event at Bondi Beach could present to both audiences and performers.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
