Bondi Beach bans boozy parties after fed-up locals complain
Vibrant beach parties on the golden sands of Bondi Beach will now be a thing of the past following a recent council motion imposing new restrictions on beach events.
Commercial events involving the sale of alcohol on Sydney’s infamous Bondi Beach will no longer be allowed after Waverley Council councilors voted on a plan to prevent ‘high impact events’ involving the sale of alcohol on the beach on Tuesday evenings.
Popular events including Mardi Gras celebrations, Sculpture by the Sea and the annual City2Surf event are excluded from the ban.
Vibrant beach parties on the golden sands of Bondi Beach will now be a thing of the past following a recent council motion imposing new restrictions on beach events
Popular events including Mardi Gras celebrations, Sculpture by the Sea and the annual City2Surf event (pictured) are excluded from the ban
The motion put to councilors by Paula Masselos also means that all beaches under Waverley Council’s jurisdiction will not allow commercial events to sell alcohol on beaches until the council has reviewed its events policy.
Cr Masselos’ motion states that Bondi Beach ‘is not an event space, venue or brand’.
“(It) exists in a suburb where people also live and go about their daily lives,” he said.
Cr Masselos said locals have been telling council “very loudly” that they do not want alcohol-fuelled events on their local beach, where the consumption of alcohol is already banned.
“Our beaches are a space for our entire community, and they have told the council loud and clear that they are not in favor of large commercial events involving alcohol on the sands of Bondi Beach,” she told The Daily Telegraph.
In 2020, plans to introduce an Amalfi-style beach club on Bondi Beach led to similar calls from locals to close and prevent commercial developments along the beach.
Initially, the beach club planned to offer an “alcohol and food service” to beachgoers between November and February.
In 2020, plans to introduce an Amalfi-style beach club on Bondi Beach led to similar calls from locals to close and prevent commercial developments along the beach.
But the plan was quickly dropped after widespread backlash.
Bondi councilor Leon Goltsman said the new ban will stop the ‘commercialisation’ of the beach.
“The beach belongs to the people and it should be free for everyone,” he said, according to The Daily Telegraph.
‘It’s not for sale. Bondi Beach is for the world to enjoy.
‘Bondi is a small area and there are more suitable places to celebrate. We must protect our assets from privatization.”