Open Streets Program
The Open Streets Program (the Program) is a $4.5 million non-competitive grant program open to all councils across NSW. The Program aims to energise our streets with free activities and events.
The Program is a part of the NSW Government’s Vibrant Streets Package, a $15 million investment that will help transform streets into thriving local places that support businesses, creative sectors, and the community.
The Open Streets Program aims to:
- Temporarily close streets to vehicles and open them for people, with projects over a day, or series of days, and provide safe spaces for community events and activities.
- Bring vibrancy to our streets by creating a sense of excitement and discovery with creative events and activations that are inviting and inclusive to the community.
- Support job creation in local businesses and the cultural sector.
- Support the development of longer-term place management outcomes, through projects that encourage private-public partnerships.
Successful grant recipients will receive up to $150,000 to support the temporary closure of streets for placemaking activations for people. Events and activations are to be delivered by January 2025.
Applications are now open and will close once the total program funding has been allocated, or by the application close date of 30 April 2024, whichever is first. Applicants can apply via the SmartyGrants portal.
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Program resources
- Open Streets Program Guidelines (PDF, 2.9 MB)
- Open Streets Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (PDF, 245.59 KB)
Previous Open Streets Program, 2021-22
Under the Alfresco Restart Package, funding of up to $500,000 was available to partner councils to activate streets from December 2021 to May 2022.
More than 25 streets, including laneways, in 20 urban centres across Greater Sydney were opened for the community.
For more information about the program:
The Festival of Place Open Streets - frequently asked questions
Bayside Council
The Streets Alive event ran over a series of days in Brighton Le Sands, where Bay Street and surrounding laneways were transformed into a winter playground, with alfresco dining, pop-up installations and themed activities and events.
Blacktown City Council
Bringing people back to Blacktown CBD, a series of events showcased local businesses and provided an opportunity to see many spectacular events on local streets, including live performances, an outdoor cinema, cultural activities and more.
Burwood Council
Innovative transport plans saw roads closed and parking spaces reallocated to transform Burwood into an urban park with outdoor dining, amusement rides, market stalls, live music, roaming performers, life size games, food trucks and a mobile play van.
Campbelltown City Council
A series of street closures in Campbelltown and Ingleburn hosted pop-up outdoor dining, live music, family entertainment, markets and more.
City of Canterbury Bankstown
A weekend long event saw Campsie’s Beamish Street closed to cars to host outdoor dining, community activities, live entertainment and public art to showcase the thriving, dynamic diversity of this community.
City of Sydney
Street closures along Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street in Potts Point and Crown Street in Surry Hills reinvigorated local communities and allowed residents to rediscover their local retailers and businesses on foot.
Cumberland City Council
The streets of Granville and Auburn were re-imagined as they played host to markets, outdoor dining, and live entertainment, providing opportunities to celebrate and connect with community during Ramadan.
Fairfield City Council
Weekend culinary carnivals and mid-week roving entertainment saw Fairfield and Cabramatta host street fairs, celebrity chefs and ambassadors, headline artists, digital touring maps, decorated streets, cultural performances, family activities and amusement rides.
Georges River Council
A summer-themed event series for a buzzing Georges River saw businesses, cultural organisations, community groups and the entertainment industry breathe life back into the streets. In Good Taste Festival also included Little Lunar Night Market in Hurstville, featuring food and artisan markets, 3D chalk art, and a “Year of The Tiger” installation.
Liverpool City Council
A weekend long block party in Liverpool included twilight markets, an outdoor cinema, live music to support local Western Sydney artists and delicious food reflective of the community’s vibrant and diverse identity.
City of Parramatta Council
Pop-up bars, outdoor dining, performance stages, and lighting installations saw Parramatta’s town centre, laneways and car parks completely re-imagined.
Penrith City Council
Temporarily closing the streets in Penrith and St Marys, and replacing cars with live performances, pop-up green space, alfresco dining and creative interventions, these centres were home to exciting street party events.
Strathfield Council
Adding colour and energy back into Homebush and Homebush West, over a series of weekends the local streets were home to outdoor dining, live entertainment and placemaking activations.
Contact us
For more information, please contact: PublicSpace@planning.nsw.gov.au
Please note that since the 1 April 2022 the Public Spaces branch from the Department of Planning and Environment was transitioned to TfNSW and renamed Cities Revitalisation and Place. The ‘Contact us’ mailbox PublicSpace@planning.nsw.gov.au is managed by the Cities Revitalisation and Place team.