The Cahill Expressway Will Go Car-Free This New Year's Eve for a Week-Long End-of-Year Festival
The seven-day party was announced as part of $200 million in spending to secure global events for Sydney and the rest of NSW.
New Year's Eve might feel like an eternity away, but plans for the 2021–22 celebrations are already being put into place by New South Wales's powers that be. The NSW Government has announced a massive seven-day end-of-year event that will see the Cahill Expressway closed to cars — and open to people. Between Friday, December 31–Thursday, January 6, the busy Sydney road will be transformed into a bustling event space with markets, pop-up food stalls, bars and a performance stage.
"An innovative activation on the Cahill Expressway is one of the recommendations from businesses that we heard during the CBD Summits, and it will attract people into the city, during the key summer trading period," said NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet.
Given that the Cahill Expressway is located directly above Circular Quay, it'll likely provide the event with panoramic harbour views — and will no-doubt make it a hotspot come time for the New Year's Eve fireworks.
City of Sydney
The news comes as part of an announcement that the NSW Government will be putting $200 million in funding towards securing global events for Sydney and the rest of the state. The multimillion-dollar State Significant Event Fund will be delivered over four years, and will aim to attract interstate and overseas visitors to NSW. Alongside this $200 million, the Government has also promised to deliver over $300 million in funding to the state's cultural institutions, including $40 million specifically for attracting major exhibitions to NSW.
The windfall of arts funding comes after a disastrous year for the arts and major events in the face of the pandemic. With these new investments in the state's arts and events, the NSW Government is hoping to support the struggling industries while reactivating the Sydney CBD and NSW's regional centres.
"We know visitors are looking for unforgettable experiences, so we want to secure blockbuster international concerts for Sydney and regional NSW venues, exhibitions direct form the world's top galleries, high-profile international sporting code events, and events celebrating fashion and design, popular culture, and creativity and innovation," said Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres.
For more information about NSW's newly announced cultural funding, head to the NSW Treasury website. The NSW State Budget will be handed down on Tuesday, June 22.
Renders: courtesy of the NSW Government.
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