Wagga Wagga Council and businesses are investing in its night-time economy

Known for its stunning landscapes like the Murrumbidgee River and expansive Riverina farmland, Wagga Wagga is home to fresh produce, a vibrant food and wine scene and exporting some of Australia’s leading sporting legends. Now, that reputation is expanding to include a buzzing after-dark scene.

One Wagga venue leading the charge to elevate the area’s night-time economy is Olivette, an underground, 1920s-inspired speakeasy.

With a vintage aesthetic, expertly crafted cocktails and an unrivalled whiskey list, Olivette offers something a little different within the regional nightlife landscape.

Olivette also happens to be one of 39 venues across NSW – one of 22 in regional NSW – which received funding in the second round of the Live Performance Venue Program to help expand their live performance offering.

Upon receiving the grant funding, Olivette celebrated with the launch of a burlesque show, and the venue is now staging a regular rotation of performances to spotlight local talent.

Speaking to Daily Advertiser, Olivette’s owner, Nick King, said:

"We are going to be starting weekly Thursday night live music ... and expanding our regular Saturday offerings with things like burlesque and comedians."

King says that the $80,000 Live Performance Venue Grant Olivette received will go toward “paying artists [and] paying for travel and marketing."

However, Olivette isn’t the only player in Wagga’s bourgeoning night-time economy. A collective of businesses in Wagga have also secured support through the NSW Government’s Regional Night-Time Economy Program.

Designed to develop vibrant night-time economies in regional towns, the Regional Night-Time Economy Program could be another key element in the reimagining of Wagga’s after-dark scene.

“We know that locals in our regional hubs know their community needs best,” said Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham, about the Program.

“This pilot program will empower business groups to enhance the offerings within their own community, whether that’s through events and activations, marketing and promotion or more streamlined collaboration.”

Each collective, comprised of 6 or more local businesses, will receive up to $200,000, a tailored in-person bootcamp delivered locally and online workshops, with the aim of extending trading opportunities, increasing foot traffic and revenue potential for their local town centres.

In addition to the businesses turning up the heat on Wagga’s nightlife, Wagga Wagga City Council is looking at ways to improve its night-time economy, by participating in the first-ever Night-Time Economy Accelerator for Councils.

Designed to equip local governments with the tools, insights and frameworks needed to nurture a thriving after-dark economy, the Accelerator connects council representatives with academics and industry experts to access and evaluate data on their local night-time economies and explore best-practice planning, policy and place-based activation.

“We're really excited to get [the night-time economy} into our master plan and our Development Control Plan, and to use what we've got available to make our CBD and our precincts more vibrant and bring more economic viability into the area,” said Sue Hanrahan, Economic Development Officer at Wagga Wagga City Council, about the NTE Accelerator.

Wagga Wagga City Council is one of 30 councils participating in the Accelerator, which runs for 14 weeks and includes councils at every stage of their night time economy journey, from those just beginning to explore after dark activation, to others with mature late-night precincts.

By aligning efforts across venues, business collectives and council, Wagga Wagga is redefining what after-dark life can look like in a regional city.