According to its website, Keep Sydney Open was founded by "a variety of key Sydney live music and performance venues, cultural organisations, artists and music industry stakeholders" in response to the "lockout regime" that was implemented by the Barry O'Farrell government in February 2014. The group says that it is concerned about the closure of venues in Sydney, particularly in the Kings Cross, Oxford Street and CBD precincts, the attendant loss of jobs and the damage to tourism, and a loss of vibrancy in Sydney's nightlife. Members have also critiqued the increasing privatisation of Sydney's annual New Years Eve celebrations, arguing it should be free to attend.
Protests and rallies
Keep Sydney Open organised a protest rally which took place on 21 February 2016, commencing in Belmore Park and then moving to Hyde Park, Sydney. Some reports estimated that 15,000 people were in attendance. The group arranged for the protest to be addressed by a number of high-profile individuals, including Dave Faulkner of band the Hoodoo Gurus, Isabella Manfredi of The Preatures, Nina Las Vegas, and Crikey journalist Bernard Keane. Performing at the rally were Royal Headache, Art vs. Science and Future Classic DJs. Another rally was held by Keep Sydney Open in October 2016. The organisers estimated that about 4,000 people attended the rally. The rally was widely reported for gaining the support of Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes and its amusing protest signs. The group had plans to hold a third rally in January 2017, this time in the Kings Cross precinct but NSW Police successfully brought a last-minute application in the NSW Supreme Court for a "prohibition order" under the Summary Offences Act 1988. Shortly after, Keep Sydney Open's campaign organiser, Tyson Koh, said that they would hold a "bigger, louder" rally instead. A rally was then held in Martin Place on 18 February 2017. On 1 July 2017, Keep Sydney Open held a music festival in Kings Cross called "Meet Me in The Cross", which included performances by Dappled Cities, Hermitude, Nina Las Vegas, and Thundamentals. The Kings Cross Hotel continued to display a Keep Sydney Open banner after the festival was held, until it was forced to take the banner down after a pro-lockouts residents group complained to the local council.
