A COALITION of Newcastle West businesses plan to apply for funding as part of the NSW Government's Uptown Accelerator program to boost night-time economies.
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Last week NSW's 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, Michael Rodrigues, held the first of a series of Regional Roadshows at Earp Distilling Co in Carrington.
The Uptown Accelerator program aims to foster collaboration between like-minded or geographically-linked entertainment or hospitality businesses for government funding.
Venues on the Newcastle West block between Union and Steel Streets have been working collaboratively for years before on the West Best Bloc Fest music festival began in October 2022.
The music festival features performances from 100 Hunter artists across venues such as the Rogue Scholar, King Street, Happy Wombat and the Family Hotel.
On Monday night representatives from bars, restaurants and cafes in the block held their first meeting to discuss an application for Uptown Accelerator funding.
Dylan Oakes, the founder of Bloc Fest and owner of Hunter Street small bar Mad Poet, said Newcastle West block was well-placed for the NSW Government initiative.
"I think West Best more or less fast-forwarded what they're looking for, in regards to the 24 Hour team," Oakes said.
"The relationships were always there and we were always borrowing bottles and fruit and whatever else from one another."
Applications for the Uptown Accelerator close on May 22.
Oakes said how any successful funding would be spent is still being discussed among the coalition of businesses, but he believes marketing the precinct and events like West Best Bloc Fest beyond Newcastle would be an obvious focus.
"There's only one way this can go and that's enhancing our advertising and marketing to get entities on board like Timeout Sydney and Destination NSW," he said.
Rodrigues spent two days in Newcastle during his trip and said he was excited by the "potential" of the entertainment and hospitality scene in the city.
Rodrigues said he was particularly impressed by the transformation of the Adamstown Bowling Club in recent years to become one of the most popular venues in Newcastle.
Earlier this year "the ABC" opened its sound-proofed Locker Room live music space following a long-running dispute with a neighbour over noise levels.
"What's happened there is quite incredible," Rodrigues said. "As we think about entertainment for everybody and the return of live music, these questions are, where do you find the infrastructure to make it happen?
"[ABC venue manger] Matt Field and the crew have done a great job of re-imagining the contemporary use of club space."
Rodrigues said he would be "going around spruiking it to other venues" as he continues to roll out the Uptown Accelerator program in other regional areas like Wollongong and Gosford and greater Sydney.
Field said the Adamstown Bowling Club was keen to approach other like-minded businesses to develop an application for Uptown Accelerator.
"The best thing about Michael Rodrigues, is he really is advocating for the creative industries, for live music and for the economy and it feels like finally we have someone in government who is on our side," Field said.
"That's a really positive feeling."
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
