Western Sydney Night-Time Economy Outperforming Inner-City

New data shows regional and suburban areas are outperforming Sydney’s inner-city in both business growth and night-time, in-person spending, with Western and South-Western Sydney fast becoming go-to night-time destinations.

St Marys and Bringelly has seen a 21 per cent growth in food, beverage, leisure and entertainment spending, while Merrylands-Guilford and Parramatta are sitting at around a 14 per cent increase.

Population growth and infrastructure investment in Greater Western Sydney are behind the trend, as well as the implementation of policies to support the night-time economy, such as the Uptown District Acceleration Program, the Live Performance Venue Program, and the Vibrancy Reforms.

“We want people to get people off the couch and go out at night,” said 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues. “This data shows that people don’t have to travel too far to find a great night out, regardless of where they live in NSW.”

Data platform offers a new insights on night-time economies

The statistics comes from the Minns government’s new Data After Dark platform, a first of its kind tool that tracks growth and changes in economic activity across NSW between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

The platform offers decision-makers in council and government an understanding of the performance of the night-time economy and provide the first comprehensive, comparable and consistent insights on nighttime economies across the state.

“For the first time, with the Data After Dark platform we can measure what is going on in our state’s night-time economy,” said Minister for Music and Night-Time Economy, John Graham. “People across NSW are seeking opportunities to go out closer to home. That is great for local businesses, but also for people who may choose to visit these areas.

“This data will serve as a basis for us to track how night-time economies outside of the Sydney CBD are performing as we continue our work to uplift and enhance the state’s night-time economy.”