71626

Organisers of the Australian Open have announced plans to create a ‘party court’ at Melbourne Park through the construction of a new hospitality lounge ahead of the 2024 Grand Slam.

Set to overlook Court 6 at Melbourne Park, the new AO Courtside Bar is a 400-capacity, double-storey structure that will feature a rotating roster of DJs along with gourmet food provided by Sydney’s Joel Bennetts.

Organisers have also announced plans for increased shaded areas across the precinct, building on the ‘butterfly wings’ structure on Grand Slam Oval that was introduced in 2023. For 2024, the venue’s shaded area will be doubled with the installation of pavilions set across the lawns of Garden Square.

Coinciding with the release of tickets for the tournament, organisers also announced a new ‘European marketplace’ concept, situated at the north of the precinct.

Introducing the new concepts, Australian Open Tournament Director, Craig Tiley stated “we expect (Court 6) will quickly become known as the ‘party court’, and it’s a model we’d like to expand further across the site in future.”

With the Grand Slam tennis tournament set to be played over 15 days, next year’s Australian Open will build on 2023’s inaugural Opening Week, offering an expanded program of events and more opportunities for fans to get closer to the players ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

Opening Week in 2024 will include qualifying matches, daily open practice sessions in Rod Laver Arena, four star-studded exhibition and charity matches, thousands of racquets given away to children, and the return of Kids Tennis Day.

An expanded Finals Festival is set to raise the roof at John Cain Arena with the court transformed into a live music venue for the final four days of the tournament.

Tiley added “we are looking forward to a three-week extravaganza of tennis and entertainment, with Opening Week bringing fans closer to the action than ever and giving unprecedented access to the top players as we lead into an historic Sunday start.”

Images: Tennis great Sam Stosur, Victorian Minister for Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos, Tennis Australia's Craig Tiley and tennis great Lleyton Hewitt launch the 2024 Australian Open (top) and a rendering of the AO Courtside Bar at Melbourne Park being introduced for the tournament (below). Credit: Australian Open.

Related Articles

3rd October 2023 - Australian Open 2024 set for historic Sunday start

31st January 2023 - 2023 Australian Open attendance breaks records

30th January 2023 - Dunlop to continue supporting Australian Open for next five years

17th January 2023 - Organisers ban Russian and Belarusian flags at Australian Open 

16th January 2023 - Turnstiles open for 2023 Australian Open

4th January 2023 - Australian Open welcomes back Kids Tennis Day returns

29th December 2022 - Australian Open set to deliver three-week tennis extravaganza

19th November 2022 - Australian Open to support technology startups

16th November 2022 - Reversal of visa ban means Novak Djokovic can play at 2023 Australian Open

8th August 2022 - Pandemic affected Australian Open events generated significant economic benefit and record broadcast numbers

7th February 2022 - Technogym celebrates partnership behind Rafa Nadal’s Australian Open win

2nd February 2022 - Australian Open 2022 scores with sponsorship and broadcast success

30th January 2022 - Tennis Australia offers 10,000 hours of free court hire to celebrate Australian Open success

27th January 2022 - Australian Open’s spectator limit increased to 65% for remainder of tournament

11th January 2022 - Australian Open enters into metaverse with NFT art collection tied to live match data

20th November 2021 - Vaccinated crowds to return for 2022 Australian Open but unvaccinated players will be barred

10th June 2021 - Safety measures introduced by Ticketmaster and Australian Open ensured a successful event

15th February 2021 - Australian Open generates most positive ‘buzz’ among sporting events and competitions

12th February 2021 - Infosys enhances the digital experience for Australian Open virtual audience

8th February 2021 - Kia marks 20 years of Australian Open sponsorship with first of its kind experience for tennis fans

5th February 2021 - Australian Open warm-up events recommence after player Coronavirus tests return negatives

7th January 2021 - Melbourne Park to be divided into three zones to ensure fan safety at Australian Open

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.