Residents of one of Sydney’s poshest suburbs want to stop a much-loved Christmas event from taking place due to concerns about noise and possible damage to their local park.
Organizers were shocked by the community’s rejection of a Christmas fair scheduled for November 30 in Double Bay, in the city’s east.
A group of residents have objected to the free event taking place in Steyne Park, claiming it would create litter, cause traffic chaos and “create a loss of peace”.
The family-friendly event would include carols, face painting, busker-style music, party stalls, children’s attractions and a fireworks show in the early afternoon. The daily telegraph reported.
The fate of the event is now in the hands of Woollahra Council, which will make its decision this week.
All but two of the 14 submissions submitted so far are in favor of canceling the event.
Anthony Tregoning is among those concerned about the impact on the area.
“There is likely to be damage to the turf and considerable time will be required to restore it,” he told The daily telegraph.
A group of residents in the wealthy Sydney suburb of Double Bay have objected to a family fair due to take place in late November due to damage to grass and potential noise (pictured Double Bay Christmas Fair Bay the previous year).
The fair (pictured above) features stalls, music, children’s attractions and fireworks.
“The amplified music and advertisements would disturb residents in the surrounding streets and in areas as far away as Edgecliff and Bellevue Hill,” he said.
Double Bay Residents Association president Katherine Grinberg fears the event could set a “precedent for other organizations to apply to use the park”.
Event organizers The Bay Street Initiative said the fair is neither a “large-scale” music festival nor a nightclub and were expecting a maximum of 5,000 people.
‘It will start at 11am and finish at 8pm. There will be some live music, but it will not go on late into the night or affect people’s sleep,’ a spokeswoman said.
He said the fair would be a positive event for the area and not “raucous.”
Another organizer, John Keenan, said the plan mitigated noise and parking problems.
He added that the event used to take place in the area before Covid and was popular with locals.
Organizers were stunned that some residents have opposed their plan, saying it won’t be a “raucous” event and that there will be a maximum of 5,000 people visiting during operating hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (pictured in a last Double Bay Christmas Fair).
The event already has the vote of Woollahra Mayor Sarah Swan, who “wholeheartedly” supported the fair.
The mayor said young families are always looking for things to do and he was “willing to accept” the one-day event for the chance to hear “the sound of children’s laughter.”
Many other residents agreed and believed the event was important to their community.
“The grass will grow again,” one commented.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Woollahra Council for comment.
