Sydney Is Set to Host Australia's First Pandemic-Era Indoor Arena Gigs with 5000-Plus Crowds

Across November, New South Wales is hosting 1000 gigs at more than 300 venues, all thanks to the State Government-run Great Southern Nights. The event is helping to restart the state's live music scene after this year's lockdowns and restrictions, and it has just gained a huge new addition — especially in terms of crowd size.

While you might've already filled your calendar with smaller shows both in Sydney and across the rest of NSW, make room for The Great Southern Nights series, which'll take place on Saturday, November 28 and Saturday, December 5. Not only will the two gigs hit up Qudos Bank Arena — marking the first big indoor arena shows in Australia since the beginning of the pandemic — but they'll host just over 5000 punters at each gig.

That's just a fraction of the venue's 21,000 total capacity, but it still covers a hefty number of music lovers in a year that's been mostly devoid of listening to live tunes en masse. It'll all be held in a COVID-19-safe manner, of course — and, across the two shows, it's expected that crowd numbers will near 12,000 in total.

As for the lineup, the first evening will see Ocean Alley, Jack River, Ruby Fields and Jack Botts doing their thing on stage — while the second gig will feature Bernard Fanning, Matt Corby and Merci Mercy.

The Great Southern Nights series will take place as NSW's events calendar is slowly filling up, and as venues are being given the go-ahead to welcome in bigger crowds. The state's outdoor stadiums can have up to 10,000 fans in the stands; theatres, concert halls and cinemas can host events of up to 1000 people, and country shows of up to 5000 people will be allowed to happen this summer.

The Great Southern Nights takes place on Saturday, November 28 and Saturday, December 5 at Qudos Bank Arena. For more information, or to buy tickets — from 10am ADST on Monday, November 9 for the first gig and at the same time on Tuesday, November 10 for the second — head to the Ticketek website.

Top image: Ocean Alley, Neegzistuoja via Wikimedia Commons.