Sydney nightlife has received a $1 million boost

The City of Sydney has unveiled the latest round of grants for small businesses and live music venues around the city.

Since September 2017, the City has provided more than $1 million in funding to over 50 businesses through its night-time diversification grants.

The latest round of grants has seen City of Sydney donate over $210,000 in grant funding to 10 local businesses. The City aims to provide pragmatic support to businesses contributing to the night-time economy of Sydney.

“The night-time economy is critical to Sydney’s future – it generates more than $4 billion in revenue each year, with 5,000 businesses employing more than 35,000 people,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore shared in a statement.

“Since establishing our grant programs for night-time diversification and live music and performance, we have directly supported over 50 city businesses to put on new programming or undertake vital upgrades.

“From free late-night music at Mary’s Underground – which recently opened in the iconic Circular Quay site of The Basement – to drag bingo at the Dove and Olive in Surry Hills, this round of grants will further revitalise our nightlife and offer new events and activities to Sydneysiders and visitors of all ages and interests.”

You can check out the full list of projects set to benefit from the grant below:

Mary’s Underground in Circular Quay: a series of weekly, free-entry late-night music performances have been funded at Mary’s Underground. providing new opportunities for emerging artists to perform.

Old Fitz Hotel in Woolloomooloo: upgraded equipment, including lighting and air conditioning, to improve the audience, artist and staff experience at the Old Fitz Theatre.

Toko Sing Song in Newtown: a series of musical performances on Friday and Saturday nights. With a focus on providing an inclusive and safe environment for gender and culturally diverse audiences.

COTA Loft in The Stand Arcade: a series of bi-weekly evening events, including creative and educational workshops held by local artists and makers and supported by local food vendors.

MoshPit bar in Erskineville: upgraded audio and lighting equipment to improve the existing performance space and increase audience capacity by expanding into a vacant neighbouring property.

Parliament on King restaurant in Newtown: a weekly program of workshops, classes and performances offering diverse experiences for performers and audiences.

Commune in Newtown: capital works improvements, including acoustic reports and infrastructure to minimise sound transfer, at a new cultural hub soon to open in Newtown by co-working collective Commune.

Yulli’s Brews in Alexandria: a weekly program of late-night live music performances. Designed to provide opportunities for local artists and encourage customers to stay throughout the evening.

Optical Designer Showcase in Surry Hills: a series of night-time events, displaying designer spectacle brands in collaboration with local designers, food vendors and musicians.

Dove and Olive in Surry Hills: A weekly drag bingo night designed to encourage customers to stay throughout the evening and increase foot traffic along Devonshire Street.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.