Open Streets Program

Open Streets Program 2025-28

The Open Streets Program (the Program) is an open competitive grant program open to all councils across NSW. The Program aims to transform our streets into vibrant, walkable public spaces for people to enjoy and safely access through free community events and activations.

The $15 million program is a part of the NSW Government’s Vibrant Streets Package, a commitment to inject vibrancy into our streets and create thriving local spaces that support businesses, creative sectors, and the community.

This round of the Open Streets Program aims to drive enduring vibrancy by funding recurring street-based events, enabling councils to build efficiencies year-on-year and empowering councils, community groups and businesses to activate their local streets now and into the future.

Up to $350,000 in funding will be provided to successful grant recipients to temporarily close streets to vehicles and open them to people for recurring events and activations across three years.

The Open Streets Program 2025-28 aims to:

promote vibrant local communities through delivery of free recurring street-based events
empower local councils to deliver reduced costs and improved efficiency for street-based events
support cultural industries and drive economic growth with more sustainable ongoing delivery of street-based events
enable councils, community groups and businesses to activate their local streets.

Transport for NSW Open Streets Willoughby City Council Artarmon Street Festival 2024.

Applications were open to all local councils within NSW and closed on 14 March 2025. Eligible applications were assessed on their comparative merit against the Program’s assessment criteria.

46 councils have been funded up to $350,000 to deliver three years of street events and activations. Keep an eye out for an Open Streets event near you.

Successful grant recipients 

You can find out more details about all the successful grant projects below.

Greater Sydney projects

Bayside Council, Creative Carlton, $350,000
Blacktown City Council, FAM Fest, $350,000
Blue Mountains City Council, Restart: Glenbrook Spring Fair and Katoomba Winter Magic, $350,000
Burwood Council, Destination Burwood: Electric Lanes, Epic Experiences, $350,000
Campbelltown City Council, Campbelltown Street fest - Where lights, culture and flavours unite!, $350,000
Canterbury Bankstown Council, Love Earlwood - Meet you at the Plateia Festival, $350,000
City of Parramatta, Parramatta Lanes, $350,000
City of Ryde Council, Lunar New Year Expansion - Railway Parade, Eastwood, $350,000
Inner West Council, Balmain Festival, $350,000
Lane Cove Council, St Leonard's Lunar Laneways, $331,500
Liverpool City Council, Starry Sari Night, $300,000
Mosman Municipal Council, Streets Alive Mosman, $350,000
North Sydney Council, North Sydney Streets, $350,000
Randwick City Council, The Spot On Series, $350,000
Sutherland Shire Council, Jannali Moonrise Festival, $350,000
The Hills Shire Council, Hills Lunar Festival, $348,000
Waverley Council, Bondi Streets, $350,000
Wollondilly Shire Council, Arts Alive Festival, $350,000
Woollahra Municipal Council, Celebrate Double Bay, $350,000.

Regional projects

Albury City Council, WinterGlow, $350,000
Armidale Regional Council, Armidale Creative Streets Festival, $346,943.16
Bega Valley Shire Council, Arts on Carp, $346,143
Broken Hill City Council, Beyond the Dust, $350,000
City of Newcastle Council, First Night Street Party 2025-2027: Promoting a Vibrant Newcastle through recurring street-based event opening New Annual, $350,000
Coonamble Shire Council, Vision Splendid Coonamble, $350,000
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council, Starry Nights, $350,000
Cowra Shire Council, Bell Beats Music and Arts Festival, $350,000
Forbes Shire Council, Forbes Street Dreams, $108,550.50
Gilgandra Shire Council, Streets of Colour @ Goin' to Gil Weekend, $350,000
Glen Innes Severn Council, Christmas in the Highlands - "Illuminations", $350,000
Kyogle Council, Kyogle Civic Heart Precinct Activation, $79,500
Lismore City Council, Eat the Street, $292,280
Lithgow City Council, Lithgow International Schnitzel Festival (SnittyFest), $350,000
Nambucca Valley Council, Nambucca Valley Open Streets Festival, $350,000
Narrabri Shire Council, NarraBRIGHT CBD Activation Event Expansion, $350,000
Narrandera Shire Council, Vibrant Streets, $208,000
Narromine Shire Council, Dolly Parton Festival, $158,182.26
Orange City Council, Zest Fest, $350,000
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, Vibrancy, Connection and Inclusion Event Series, $350,000
Shellharbour City Council, Eats and Beats Street Series, $350,000
The Council of the Municipality of Kiama, Kiama Winter Street Festival 2025-2027, $349,998
Tweed Shire Council, Local Streets Alive, $350,000
Uralla Shire Council, Uralla Christmas Street Fair (2025 - 2027), $198,250
Wagga Wagga City Council, Festival of W, $350,000
Warrumbungle Shire Council, Warrumbungle Bloomfest, $350,000
Wollongong City Council, Surf and Sound Thirroul, $350,000.

For more information about the Open Streets Program 2025-28:

Open Streets Program - Vivid Sydney 2025

The Open Streets Program worked with Destination NSW on a pilot project for Vivid Sydney 2025 to expand and develop street-based offerings, providing new ways to drive community engagement and increase the economic impact of the festival for cultural industries and local businesses.

This included four street-based activations in May and June 2025:

Vivid Fire Kitchen | Spice Lounge 23 May - 14 June
Hollywood Dreaming | A Taste of HQ 31 May
Hollywood Dreaming | Foy Lane Lights Up 14 June
Sound Walk 7 June

Previous street vibrancy programs have shown how great streets can help improve mental and physical wellbeing, foster public life, support local jobs, showcase local content, support small business, and allow us to connect with other people and our neighbourhoods. The Program builds on the success of previous rounds of the Open Streets program and other Transport programs that support the activation of our streets and centres.