Sydney’s major venues attract record crowds

October 28, 2024

Venues NSW has advised of a remarkable period of hosting major events with over 400,000 fans attending live sport and entertainment in just the past fortnight.

US rapper Travis Scott kicked off the summer stadium concert season last week with two memorable performances at Allianz Stadium - with his second show breaking the all-time attendance record for a concert at the venue with the 41,814 crowd surpassing the previous record set by P!nk in February.

The city’s Royal Randwick racecourse also set a new modern-day crowd record of 49,117 for the annual Everest Carnival - on the same weekend King Charles and Queen Camilla began their Australian tour.

The A-Leagues kicked off their new men’s season with a sold-out Sydney Derby at CommBank Stadium featuring new recruits Juan Mata from the Wanderers and Sydney FC’s Douglas Costa.

Following his surprise appearance at Travis Scott’s concert, Canadian singer The Weeknd brought his After Hours Til Dawn show to Accor Stadium.

Over 130,000 fans packed into Sydney’s Olympic venue for his first stadium concert in NSW, performing hits such as Starboy, Blinding Lights and I Feel It Coming.

Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo performed four shows at Qudos Bank Arena in her first visit to Australia, seen by 70,000 fans.

To cap off a blockbuster fortnight of major events in front of a combined 50,000 fans, Royal Randwick hosted Spring Champion Stakes Day and Allianz Stadium hosted K-pop superstars Stray Kids.

Major events are a significant contributor to the NSW economy, with an estimated $60 million generated from major events in the past fortnight alone.

The major events continue in Sydney in November, headlined by Coldplay who will bring their spectacular Music of The Spheres world tour to Accor Stadium over four sold-out nights.

CommBank Stadium will host Ronaldinho’s XI v Cahill’s XI in the Joga Bonito Tour followed by two Wanderers clashes, the NRL’s Pacific Championships Finals and The Kid LAROI.

The summer cricket season officially begins at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 10th November featuring a WBBL double-header, with a standalone T20 International between Australia and Pakistan to be held just six days later.

10th November will also see four events held across Venues NSW’s stadiums, with Sydney FC men’s team at home for the first time this season, along with the Pacific Championships Finals, the SCG double-header and Coldplay’s fourth and final Sydney show.

The A-Leagues Unite Round will be held from 22nd to 24th November, bringing together six teams and their fans to Allianz Stadium, while racegoers will enjoy the Golden Eagle and the Big Dance on Melbourne Cup Day at Royal Randwick over the coming weeks.

Other upcoming events include the family-friendly Big Bash League and the New Year’s Pink Test from 3rd to 7th January at the SCG, and Juicy Fest and Luke Combs concerts at Accor Stadium.

This full calendar of sport and entertainment follows Sydney hosting Taylor Swift, P!nk, Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Elton John, Foo Fighters, KISS, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, FIFA Women’s World Cup, Bledisloe Cup, New Year’s Test, AFL’s Opening Round, and the NRL’s pinnacle events, State of Origin and Grand Final Sunday, in the past two years.

Commenting on this, NSW Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper noted “it’s been another memorable year of major events so far and one of our busiest fortnights, providing a massive boost to our visitor economy.”

Venues NSW Chair, David Gallop added “I can’t quite remember a time like this where we’ve had so many international superstars perform in Sydney.

“It’s a credit to the fans for attending in record numbers and to our team for securing some of the biggest names and major events on the planet.”

Images: Fans watch The Weeknd at Accor Stadium (top), Western Sydney Wanderers star Juan Mata in action during the Sydney A-League derby at CommBank Stadium (middle) and Travis Scott plays Allianz Stadium (below, credit: Live Nation/Charlie Hardy)

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19th August 2024 - Cricket Australia confirms New Year’s Test to be in Sydney for next seven years

15th August 2024 - Cricket Australia reveals long term Test venue schedule

23rd July 2024 - Football Australia and Allianz Australia enter into multi-year partnership

22nd July 2024 - NRL’s Penrith Panthers to play at CommBank Stadium in 2025

3rd July 2024 - West Tigers’ venue strategy reveals plans for more NRL home matches at CommBank Stadium

5th June 2024 - Taylor Swift, P!nk and Australian Grand Prix drive national economic growth in last quarter

16th April 2024 - Quayclean secures cleaning contracts at four Venues NSW facilities

6th March 2024 - NSW Sports Minister revives prospect of building a roof on Sydney’s Accor Stadium

24th February 2024 - Taylor Swift’s Sydney concert impacted by storm event

22nd February 2024 - Sydney Olympic Park introduces new technology to deal with large crowds for Taylor Swift concerts

30th January 2024 - New appointees endorsed for Venues NSW Board

17th January 2024 - NSW Government announces raising of concert cap for Sydney’s Allianz Stadium and SCG

21st November 2023 - VenuesLive secures further catering awards for CommBank Stadium and Accor Stadium

11th November 2023 - Venues NSW explains change of management arrangements at Sydney’s Accor and CommBank Stadiums

10th November 2023 - NSW Government ends VenuesLive’s management of Sydney’s CommBank and Accor Stadiums

9th November 2023 - Venues NSW announces Gema Group as new catering contractor at Sydney’s Accor and CommBank Stadium

31st October 2023 - CommBank extends partnership with Football Australia to support launch of new community fund

26th October 2023 - American Express and Venues NSW partnership sees launch of new hospitality options at Allianz Stadium

18th October 2023 - Sydney secures A-Leagues debut Unite Round in 2024

15th August 2023 - David Gallop named new Venues NSW Chair after Morris Iemma steps down

6th July 2023 - La Trobe Financial named asset manager at Allianz Stadium and the Sydney Cricket Ground

13th February 2023 - Venues NSW Chair Tony Shepherd steps down

24th January 2023 - Elton John’s farewell concerts on track to set all-time global touring record

29th August 2022 - Venues NSW partnership with Rizer delivers memorable opening ceremony at Allianz Stadium

7th June 2022 - Sydney’s Accor Stadium lights up ahead of State of Origin game 1

21st September 2018 - P!NK sets new ticket sales record at Qudos Bank Arena

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