Sydney Nightlife Recovers From Lockout Laws

Sydney's 2014-2020 lockout laws decimated the CBD nightlife and the city is still rebuilding. The new hot neighborhoods: Surry Hills (small bars, Bulletin Place, Shady Pines Saloon), Newtown (indie bars and live music on King Street), Enmore (Enmore Theatre for music, Sly Fox for the dive). The CBD itself is recovering at Martin Place and the Barrangaroo waterfront.

Kings Cross, the historic red-light and nightlife district, is a ghost of its former self but has a handful of bars operating. The area around Oxford Street still carries the LGBTQ+ nightlife (Stonewall, The Imperial Hotel Erskineville).

NSW licensing varies by venue; some rooms run to 5 AM. The city-wide decline is real but the good bars are better than ever in the surviving neighborhoods.