Merri-bek City Council published their Agenda on Thursday of last week, for their upcoming Council Meeting this Wednesday night (13/05/26), and within it there is a proposal to refresh their festival programming, with a result of that proposal being that the Sydney Road Street Party moves to become an event that Council run every two years, instead of its current annual delivery.

The Sydney Road Street Party has been a beloved annual community event (excluding COVID-19 affected years) since 1991, and sees Sydney Road Brunswick (from Brunswick Road to Victoria Street) attract tens of thousands of people over the course off the day for the free, family friendly, event.

What is being proposed?

In summary, the changes being proposed by Council (that you as a business operator within the Sydney Road Brunswick precinct need to be aware of), is:

• The shift of Sydney Road Street Party to become biennial, to be delivered on an alternating schedule with the Coburg Night Market, meaning that the Sydney Road Street Party will not take place again until 2028 (then 2030 and so on).
  • Council do note that the Brunswick Music Festival will remain an annual event.

Why is this being proposed?

This is being proposed so that the Arts and Culture Team at Council can establish more balanced programming throughout the municipality, with a focus north of Bell Street and intention to build on their existing Glenroy Festival and Fawker Festa. What this looks like in terms of an event is yet to be confirmed.

See the full proposal here.

Does this impact your business?

As a business operating within the Sydney Road Brunswick precinct, you may be concerned that the proposed shift of the Sydney Road Street Party timings, may:

• Detract from your annual marketing and sales activities, with some businesses including this event as a key component to their brand awareness, business development, sales or lead generation every year – with many businesses benefiting from the exposure of tens of thousands of people.
• Dampen the kick off of your business year within the precinct, with some businesses feeling that this event announces and celebrates Sydney Road Brunswick annually, to both the local community and visiting enthusiasts who align with the values of the Street Party and precinct.
• Remove a sense of community, affinity, and annual collective celebration that Sydney Road Brunswick has become known for with this event.

Is there an opportunity to submit towards this proposal?

Yes, everyone is able to submit their thoughts towards this proposed change, through Merri-bek City Council’s website – here. You have until midday tomorrow (Wednesday 13 May) to submit a question or statement. For it to be heard or answered, you will need to be able to attend the Council Meeting, from 6.30pm on Wednesday 13 May, either in person (Coburg Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg) or online. Alternatively, you can also reach out to the Councillors of this area, being:

Cr Jay Iwasaki
Mobile: 0429 431 760
Email: JIwasaki@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

Cr Liz Irvin
Mobile: 0472 846 861
Email: LIrvin@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

What is the Association’s stance?

The Association is finalising its stance towards the proposal, but does wish to advise businesses that SRBA is not in agreeance with the proposition, based on the following factors:

• Disagreement with how this proposal is being presented to Councillors, and more specifically, questioning why the community wasn’t consulted about this potential significant change, especially when:
  • The Sydney Road Street Party has been an annual fixture on the events calendar for over 30 years
  • The Sydney Road Street Party is a much-loved annual community event, attracting over 50,000 people in the most recent event
  • The Sydney Road Street Party is more than just an event, it’s an annual opportunity for community (local and visiting) to come together, with the iconic Sydney Road Brunswick itself the stage.
• Disagreement that the same level of activity and event can be delivered on a biennial basis, especially when:
  • Melbourne is known for its events, where annual fixtures such as this speak to the State’s ongoing demand for experience and activation, especially when it’s free to attend.  An annual, and iconic, street party such as this should not be dismissed or taken lightly, especially when its annual attraction numbers impress on so many facets of community and business life.
  • Gaps, such as the proposed, in delivery timings open the event up to greater operational and marketing challenges, especially if it were to take place in March.
    • SBRA worry that the move of the Sydney Road Street Party to biennial will add layers of complexity and knowledge gap, that will eventually bring the event to an end indefinitely.
• Hesitation towards how the Brunswick Music Festival, which is proposed to remain as an annual event, could contribute as broadly to the community as the Street Party does, when:
  • Likely opportunity for community engagement and representation within the Brunswick Music Festival would not be able to match as currently delivered, with the Street Party traditionally launching the event every year and providing (by way of its establishment) more opportunity for alternative venue and stage programming, which may not exist otherwise. Business engagement, collaboration and opportunity could not feasibly match the level delivered presently.

The Association believes that the proposed Festivals Program Refresh should have been a community consultation that followed on from previous Arts and Culture Strategy engagements, empowering the community (and its stakeholders) to enter into conversations about how equity within the municipality’s festival programming could or should be achieved.

That opportunity has been removed to instead rest with Councillors, providing community and stakeholders with only a matter of days to review and respond – with likely many who engage within the festivals program not even aware of what is being proposed.