One-third of Oxford Street’s shops empty as clock ticks down to WorldPride | michaelkoziol
The rejuvenation of Oxford Street has been talked about for years – decades even – but three months from the start of the world’s biggest pride festival, Sydney’s primary LGBTQ hub is in a parlous state.walked both sides of Oxford Street from Hyde Park to the Beacham Hotel, at the corner of South Dowling, and counted 45 vacant shopfronts, and 95 that were operating. That is, nearly a third of the street is missing in action – with many stores derelict, old mail strewn about their entrances.
That is not to say Oxford Street is dead; in some ways the nightspot is thriving, with long queues at clubs such as Universal, Cliff Dive and Palms on busy Saturdays. Arq owner Shadd Danesi told theon Friday he would reopen the legendary nightclub, and was “doing his best” to have it ready for the start of WorldPride in mid-February.
WorldPride chief executive Kate Wickett promised that the street would be “fabulous” by February as it continued to recover from the effects of COVID. She also said the festival would be a major win for businesses, with the Mardi Gras parade returning to Oxford Street and nearby blocks being closed to cars for 10 days for Pride Village – “the biggest street activation ever witnessed in the inner city”.
“To expect that everyone is just going to be able to pull out all this money to put on this massive glitzy show is a bit of a push,” he said. “When you look at the amount of people [expected to visit] and the offering, especially when it comes to food and amenities, we’ve got to make sure we don’t look like a joke.”
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