Held every two years, the Biennale of Sydney is an international art festival and the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2024, the 24th Biennale, titled ‘Ten Thousand Suns’, was held at locations across Sydney including Art Gallery of New South Wales, Artspace and the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.
Destination NSW
After meeting the team from the Biennale of Sydney at the Uptown District Showcase in 2023, Balmain Rozelle began developing a variety of cross-promotional opportunities between the District and the Biennale of Sydney, including mention of Balmain Rozelle on the Biennale website and e-newsletters, and mention of the Biennale in Balmain Rozelle’s Darling magazine.
The collaboration led to Balmain Rozelle asking the Inner West Council to provide a local bus service for Biennale visitors to get around the District. They met with local businesses, the mayor and councillors, and brought the proposal to a council meeting for approval.
“Without the backing and awareness of our district and Balmain Rozelle Chamber of Commerce and our 150 members, we would not have had the resources and strength to lobby for this level of support,” said Belinda Daly, District coordinator for Balmain Rozelle.
The bus service was approved and ran for nine weeks on weekends and public holidays, carrying over 1,200 passengers.
“We were fortunate to have relationships in place to form a meeting with more than 20 businesses at short notice and be represented at the council meeting level to be able to put our case forward,” added Daly.
“The Biennale of Sydney were very pleased with the support of Balmain Rozelle in helping drive awareness locally to encourage visitation and with our collaboration with the Darling magazine. We look forward to working with them again in 2026.”
We acknowledge that we live and work on Aboriginal land and recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of First Nations Australians. We also acknowledge all of the traditional owners of the land in NSW, and pay respect to First Nations Elders, past and present.
