Big Top Sydney

The Big Top

Entrance to venue (c.2013)
Full name The Big Top at Luna Park Sydney
Former names Luna Circus (planning/construction)
Address 1300 Big Top
Sydney NSW 2061
Australia
Location Luna Park, Milsons Point
Owner Brookfield Metro Edgley Pty Ltd
Operator Luna Park Venues
Capacity 2,950
Construction
Broke ground 7 February 2003 (2003-02-07)
Opened 2 April 2004 (2004-04-02)
Construction cost $20 million
($25 million in 2010 dollars[1])
Architect Hassell
Structural engineer MacDonald Contracting
Services engineer Douglas Partners
General contractor Cordell Construction
Website
Venue Website

The Big Top (also known as the Big Top Auditorium and The Arena; commonly known as Big Top Sydney) is a multi-purpose entertainment venue located within Luna Park Sydney. Opening in 2004, the venue was a part of the amusement park’s 2003 redevelopment plan. It has a capacity of nearly 3,000, making it one of Sydney’s largest mid-sized venues.

It has housed notable events such as: the 2005 MTV Australia Video Music Awards, Come Together Music Festival and the 2013 Sydney Darts Masters.

History

The venue was originally proposed in 1999 by Metro Edgley Pty Ltd. Known as Luna Circus,[2] the building was proposed as a venue for circus acts and a possible site for a permanent Cirque du Soleil show. Plans were underway to begin construction in 2000, opening in 2001.[3] However, the proposal was not approved by the North Sydney Council until December 2002. Construction began in February 2003 and completed was completed in December. It was built on the site of the former Ghost Train

An opening celebration concert was held 2 April 2004.[4] It was hosted by Simon Burke and featured performances by Caroline O'Connor, Marina Prior and David Campbell. The first official event held at the venue was a performance Sunset Boulevard (featuring Judi Connelli and Michael Cormick) on 3 April 2004.[5]

Venue configurations/capacities
Layout Capacity
General admission 2,950
Circus 2,085
Theatre 1,800
Custom 2,105
Combo 2,768
Town hall 2,128
Combat Sport 1 1,680
Combat Sport 2 1,892

Performers

References

  1. Australian Consumer Price Inflation figures follow the Long Term Linked Series provided in Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) 6461.0 – Consumer Price Index: Concepts, Sources and Methods, 2011 as explained at §§3.10–3.11; this series comprises "from 1901 to 1914, the A Series Retail Price Index; from 1914 to 1946–47, the C Series Retail Price Index; from 1946-47 to 1948-49, a combination of the C Series Index, excluding rent, and the housing group of the CPI; and from 1948–49 onwards, the CPI." (3.10). Retrieved May 4, 2015
  2. Farrelly, Elizabeth (19 August 2003). "Get back on the rollercoaster". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  3. Cochrane, Peter; Peatling, Stephanie (7 July 1999). "Over the moon about Luna Circus". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. Maley, Jacqueline (2 April 2004). "Roll up, roll up". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  5. Hallett, Bryce (5 April 2004). "Sunset Boulevard, Luna Park". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 June 2016.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.