Uptown Grant program to activate Sydney’s neon grid

The NSW Government has announced the first successful recipients of its Uptown Grant Program with 21 diverse districts across Greater Sydney having each received up to $200,000 to create ‘going-out areas’ with distinct offerings.

From Koreatown in Eastwood, to an arts district in Brookvale, from a music and youth culture scene in Blacktown to a LGBTQIA+ Rainbow District in Darlinghurst, Sydney’s neon grid is coming to life through the Uptown Grant program.

NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham notes “this is an exciting opportunity for groups of businesses and creatives in areas across Sydney who’ve laid out their visions to create well-known precincts with unique offerings for locals and visitors to enjoy.”

NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues explained “with an Uptown Grant, districts can bring their visions to life and deliver brilliant experiences that celebrate what’s best about their community.

“Owners have enough on their plate with the day-to-day running of their businesses. The Uptown Grant Program allows these districts to hire dedicated resources to manage their combined initiatives, including events, marketing and operations.

“The Gathering in Blacktown has one of many exciting visions. Their program aims to attract people to hundreds of events, artists and collectives, from HipHop to the best Afghan and Filipino food, to the incredible work of Solid Ground, haunted ghost tours and films like Here Out West. The project will focus on supporting the emergence of youth culture, a local arts and music scene and amplifying and connecting existing offerings in the community.”

Recipients include Harris Park (City of Parramatta), an LGBTQIA+ Rainbow District in Darlinghurst (City of Sydney), a Koreatown in Eastwood (City of Ryde), plus other precincts in the Northern Beaches, Inner West, Hornsby, Woollahra and Blacktown councils, among others.

KXQ (King's Cross Quarter, Kings Cross) is receiving $200,000 to create a coordination group of small businesses to give King’s Cross a fresh voice, engage with visitors and attract consumers to the iconic home of Sydney’s 24-hour economy, while the Koreatown (Eastwood) allocation of $198,200 will go towards creating a multi-platform advertising campaign aiming to attract four million visitors to experience the district’s cultural food, fashion, pop-up events and activities.

The program follows the successful completion of the Uptown Accelerator late last year, where more than two dozen district teams took part in workshops to amplify the potential of their night-time economy.  

Rodrigues says that partnering between businesses is a proven way to attract more Sydneysiders and tourists to the area and potentially unlock new revenue streams. District teams, comprising three or more local businesses across various sectors, including accommodation, arts and culture, tourism, hospitality, live performance, retail and sport are encouraged to apply.

Applications are now open for the expanded eight-week program of workshops scheduled to take place from August to October 2023.  

For more information and to apply for the Uptown Accelerator visit www.investment.nsw.gov.au/Uptown

The 21 recipients of the Uptown Grant Program are:

1. Balmain Rozelle

2. Brookvale Arts District (BAD)

3. Chippendale Collective

4. DuskDown (Freshwater)

5. Eddy (Central Station and Eddy Avenue Precinct, Sydney)

6. Green² (Green Square)

7. Harris Park

8. Haymarket Precinct

9. 2077 A.D. - Hornsby After Dark

10. HQ Sydney (Hollywood Quarter Sydney – Precinct of Commonwealth, Campbell and Wentworth Streets, Surry Hills)

11. KXQ (King's Cross Quarter, Kings Cross)

12. Koreatown (Eastwood)

13. New Sydney Waterfront Company District Team (Sydney Harbour)

14. Paddo Collective (Paddington)

15. Stanley Street District (North Darlinghurst)

16. The Gathering (Blacktown)

17. YCK Laneways Association Inc (Sydney CBD)

18. Rainbow Precinct (Darlinghurst)

19. Pyrmont+Ultimo24/7 – Powered by Pyrmont Ultimo Chamber of Commerce (Pyrmont, Ultimo)

20. UpTown Sydney CBD

21. Walsh Bay Arts Precinct