Influence of informal & grassroots spaces

A participant said spaces with the biggest impact often have a lower barrier to taking part. The Red Rattler, a community-controlled warehouse theatre in Marrickville, was the space that participants named most often. Its founders had pooled their money to buy the building.

A participant said an event listed as “location TBA” is much more likely to sell out than one in a conventional venue. They stated people are moving away from conventional venues, perhaps because these are too structured or over-policed. They said that recently about 15 police officers with drug dogs raided a venue, and that this “happens all the time”. Another said that if a space becomes culturally important, there should be a way to secure it rather than letting it disappear.

A total of 89% of survey respondents in Sydney call temporary spaces important for the city’s nightlife. But one expert said landlords “make more money” leaving a space empty than renting it, because of tax incentives at federal and state level.