Solotel was set to host its mammoth 24 Hour Party this weekend, however current COVID restrictions in greater Sydney that don’t allow dancing has meant the group has had to postpone the event.
The sprawling event over several venues was being used as a way to celebrate the return of dancing to Sydney’s nightlife, as well as give a much needed boost to live music acts that have suffered greatly from a lack of opportunity over the last 18 months.
While the event is untenable under current restrictions, Solotel CEO Elliot Solomon is committed to running the event as it was intended at a later date.
“Following the NSW Government’s decision to extend the restrictions until Monday 17 May, we’ve decided to postpone the 24 Hour Party. We are in the business of creating incredible experiences for our guests so with no dancefloors, singing, or standing with drinks indoors, we can’t create the full 24 Hour Party experience. We are still committed to the 24 Hour Party and excited to announce a new date as soon as possible.”
Updates on the status of the party can be found here.
In the meantime, check out the original story below, where Solomon discusses the motivations behind the event, and the immense effort it has taken to pull it together.
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Solotel is hosting a 24-Hour Party on 15 May across 11 of its venues to boost night-time trade and support local musicians.
The Sydney hospitality operator is partnering with entertainment groups Motorik, Heaps Gay, Picnic, Fruit Bowl, and FBi Radio to present 170 hours of free live music and artists across Saturday 15 May and into the early hours of Sunday.
The event will utilise 17 stages at Kings Cross Hotel, The Marly, The Bank, Goros, The Golden Sheaf, The Albion Parramatta, Barangaroo House, The Erko, Public House Petersham, The Sackville Rozelle, and The Clock Surry Hills.
“It’s a celebration that dance floors are back – an experience that our venues and our guests have been patiently waiting for all year. It’s also an opportunity for Solotel Group to help breathe life into the city’s music and nightlife scene, which is hugely important to us, and provide a platform for Australian artists after a pretty flat year for that industry,” stated CEO Elliot Solomon.
“With 80 plus artists, 11 venues, and 170 hours of programmed entertainment it obviously requires an incredibly detailed and organised approach. In many ways, we approached this as if we were coordinating a music festival.
“Internally, we created a dedicated 24-Hour Party team made up of experts in entertainment, operations, marketing, graphics, and PR to essentially divide and conquer. They’ve worked tirelessly to bring together an unmissable event.”
Support all round
Fortunately, the venues have not faced any compliance or licensing issues with all locations operating within their standard licensing guidelines. Solotel is also looking forward to working closely with the recently appointed NSW 24-Hour Commissioner Michael Rodrigues to continue building a thriving Sydney night time social hub.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to help reinvigorate the city’s nightlife and the music scene is a big part of that,” stated Solomon.
“We wanted to provide a platform for Australian artists and so far, the excitement among the music and entertainment industry to get back out doing what they do best is palpable. We are in the business of creating incredible experiences for our guests and appreciate our industry partners and friends have had it tough the past year.”
The event not only presents an opportunity for increased trade with participating venues, but is actively supporting up-and-coming musicians and celebrating Australia’s talented female artists.
“Two key focus areas of the programming are supporting local emerging talent as well as Australian female artists with a diverse mix of genres so there is quite literally something for everyone,” Solomon added.
“There’s an incredible line up of women from headliner singer songwriter Hayley Mary to ARIA award-winning songwriter and electronic pop and dance DJ KLP, and five-piece emerging Sydney indie folk band, Megafauna. Up-and-coming inner west 12-piece funk collective The Regime puts on an incredible show as does DJ Ayebatonye’s Afro-infused electronic music.”
For Solomon, heading up an operation like this increases Solotel’s reputation as “ a hospitality leader in music and entertainment.”
“As a group, we’re enormously committed to Sydney’s nightlife economy and that’s why it’s important to us that the 24-Hour Party involves and supports so much of the industry we love.”