Pedestrianisation Of Darlinghurst’s Stanley Street To Create Leafy European Dining Precinct

On Tuesday, Darlinghurst stakeholders met at Bob’s Lounge on Stanley Street to discuss the future of the strip, including a trial pedestrianisation planned for 4 January to 5 February 2027.

The forum, attended by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and representatives from the City of Sydney, NSW Government, Transport for Sydney, and local MP Alex Greenwich’s office, aimed to discuss a shared vision for what a Stanley Street closed to traffic might look like, with local businesses calling for European-inspired outdoor dining, leafy streets, and local shops and cafés spilling onto the street.

Speaking at the event, Moore, who is enthusiastic about the project, said that Sydney shares a similar climate to Spain and Italy, and is likewise deserving of world-class outdoor dining experiences. Similarly, Sydney MP Alex Greenwich vocalised total support for closing Stanley Street to traffic.

“The Stanley Street Festival has shown just how successful pedestrianising this area can be,” Greenwich told City Hub. “It’s time to keep the party going all year round, close this strip to car traffic, and open it up to outdoor diners, performers, and the community.” 

Al Fresco Dining, Music, & Culture Is The Dream For Stanley Street

While Stanley Street’s temporary pedestrianisation as part of recent Sydney Streets summer festivals has been widely successful, local businesses suggest their vision for permanently opening the strip to foot traffic doesn’t include a year-round party.

Speaking to City Hub, owner of Italian restaurant Harry’s by Giuls on Stanley Street and District Coordinator of Stanley Street Dining District Ltd, Giulia Treuner, said Stanley Street occupants are looking to build something more sustainable.

“Summer Streets was very successful for us, however that’s not what we want to do for the pedestrianisation, because obviously we want to build something which is sustainable, we don’t want to put on a party necessarily. 

“We need to consider the tenants living around there, so for us this is more of an activation plan where cultural experiences will be included, family days — of course there will be live music, but all in a certain amount so that no one gets interrupted and everyone can co-exist.”

For Treuner, the pedestrianisation is all about creating an outdoor dining, shopping, and cultural precinct that will bring the community together.

“We want to bring a European dining plaza to Stanley Street,” Treuner told City Hub, “and make this outside wine and dine experience a normal thing, which would benefit not just businesses but also our community, to get new people to Stanley Street, to get the community together.”

“I think Stanley Street is such a great street, and an amazing district, which has such a diverse offering. There is something for everyone, and I think we just don’t have enough people down there at the moment, and I think this trial is a really good option to broadcast just how great Stanley Street actually is.”

Vehicular Traffic & 389 Bus Route Affected

Stanley Street’s trial pedestrianisation, planned for 4 January to 5 February 2027, will close the strip off to traffic and result in the 389 bus no longer servicing the area.

During the trial, public transport users can expect the 389 service to skip the usual detour through Burton, Bourke, Stanley, and Yurong streets. Instead, the inbound route (commuting North West) will travel straight from Darlinghurst Road to William Street, while the outbound route (commuting South East) will travel straight from William Street to Victoria Street.

While these proposed service changes, which will be utilised for the trial period only, make use of existing infrastructure, Stanley Street Dining District Ltd has assured commuters that if the pedestrianisation of Stanley Street is made permanent, Transport for NSW will work with locals to make any necessary concessions.