What is Purple Flag?
Purple Flag is an international accreditation program which recognises precincts that achieve high standards of excellence in managing their night-time economy.
Purple Flag is the first of its kind in Australia, with Sydney joining over 90 global destinations that have the Purple Flag. Other regions include Stockholm, Sweden; Aberdeen, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland; Auckland, New Zealand, Malta and the United Kingdom.
Earning the Purple Flag signals to locals and visitors alike that your precinct is a safe, welcoming and vibrant place to enjoy after dark.
Purple Flag will expand across NSW, through a staged rollout, commencing with precincts from Greater Sydney, with regional areas to follow.
Purple Flag is administered by the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, in partnership with the UK Association of Town and City Management (ATCM). The program will also work closely with other state government agencies, local government, police, healthcare professionals, business, industry groups and consumers.
Sydney now has four accredited Purple Flag areas which are:
- YCK (York, Clarence, and Kent Streets) in the CBD
- Parramatta CBD
- Haldon Street, Lakemba
- Illawarra Road and Marrickville Road, Marrickville
When you see the Purple Flag sign, you’ll know the area meets standards of excellence in vibrancy, diversity and safety at night. This includes good access to public transport, street lighting and great food and beverage.
The Purple Flag program is a key initiative of the NSW Government’s 24-Hour Economy Strategy.
How will Purple Flag benefit your precinct?
Purple Flag accreditation will place your precinct on the international map as an area that is known to be a safe, diverse and vibrant place to visit at night. The Purple Flag program and application process can foster greater collaboration, creating opportunities for businesses, governments, and community members to connect and strengthen local networks.
If your precinct achieves Purple Flag accreditation, it will attain or exceed a standard of excellence in:
- night-time precinct management
- planning for continuous improvement and development.
- increase in visibility and positive reputation
- raised profile that attracts more visitors
- increased foot traffic, leading to higher revenue for local businesses
- enhanced community engagement and stakeholder collaboration
- sustainable economic growth driven by a thriving night-time economy and precinct
- attraction of new investment and business opportunities
- continuous development through a structured improvement framework
- strengthened community identity and pride
- creation of a vibrant, safer and diverse precinct that becomes a model for other areas.
As the program becomes more established, these benefits will amplify, making Purple Flag precincts key drivers of vibrant and sustainable night-time economies.
Want to find out more?
Connect with us to stay informed about upcoming info sessions, resources, and opportunities to connect with the Purple Flag team.
The Purple Flag core principles and attributes
A precinct that meets or exceeds these 5 core principles will achieve Purple Flag accreditation:
Wellbeing: welcoming, clean and safe
- Safety. Proportionate levels of visible, effective policing, capable guardians that can de-escalate situations before they occur and active surveillance.
- Care. Responsible guardianship, customer care and concern for community health.
- Regulation. Positive and proactive approach to licensing and regulation.
- Services. Appropriate levels of cleansing and waste, and access to public amenities.
- Partnership. The active involvement of business, liquor accords or other associations in contributing to a welcoming, clean and safe precinct.
- Perceptions. A valid and positive presentation of the area to customers.
Movement: a secure pattern of arrival, circulation and departure
- Public transport. Safe, affordable, well-managed late-night public transport, including adequate provision for taxi, ride share and other on-demand drop-off and pick-up services.
- Car parking. Where appropriate, availability of secure late-night car parking.
- Pedestrian routes. Clear, safe and convenient pedestrian links within the precinct and when leaving the area.
- Crowd management. Where applicable, measures to deal with overcrowding, congestion, and conflict between pedestrians and moving vehicles.
- Information. Practical information and guidance available for visitors to the area.
- Partnership. Business, venues and transport operator commitment and participation to support the safe movement of people and vehicles.
Appeal: a vibrant choice and rich mix of entertainment and activity
- Food and dining. A diverse choice of food venues including affordable options.
- Pubs and bars. Well-managed venues. Catering to varied tastes, including regular programming or cultural activities as appropriate to the area.
- Late night venues. Where applicable, diversity in late night venues (trading after 9pm) beyond food and drink options including but not limited to entertainment and shops. The late-night offer should complement the diverse appeal of the precinct as a whole.
- Early evening activity. An active early evening period, such as late opening shops, sporting and leisure opportunities, and night markets that offer a diverse appeal to all age groups.
- Building use. Creative and imaginative use of buildings in the evening and at night.
- Arts and culture. A vibrant, inclusive arts and cultural scene either through regular programming in venues or/and through events.
Place: a stimulating destination and vibrant place
- Location. Appropriate location, clustering, and capacity of venue types and amenities.
- Diversity. A successful balance of uses.
- Clarity. Clear, accessible pedestrian links and wayfinding.
- Animation. Attractive, well-used public places, active streets and building frontages.
- Good design. Thoughtful and imaginative design for the night.
- Identity. Character and identity through natural and built features to reinforce appeal in addition to social, historical, and cultural significance and connections to community.
Strategic alignment: a clear aim and a common purpose
- Data. Access to data to support a sound statistical base for policy-making and action.
- Strategy. Positive strategic objectives and targets.
- Coordination. Public policy and regulatory coordination and focus.
- Leadership. Clear responsibilities for policy and action.
- Partnership. Multi-sector endorsement and commitment across local and state government agencies, private businesses, associations, and liquor accords.
- Community. Dialogue with consumers and residents.
Purple Flag Assessment Rubric
To find out more about the standards your precinct would need to meet to achieve Purple Flag status, please download and review the Purple Flag Assessment Rubric (PDF 2.36MB).
Why is Purple Flag important?
NSW is home to many vibrant and diverse night-time precincts. The Purple Flag program aims to make these areas even better by setting even higher standards for safety, inclusivity and enjoyment.
In line with the NSW 24-Hour Economy Strategy, the program helps to:
- create diverse and vibrant precincts
- foster a safe and inclusive night-time economy
- encourage the state government, local council, businesses and community sectors to work together toward similar goals
- support precincts to achieve excellent night-time management.
Purple Flag information webinar
Purple Flag Information Webinar
Frequently asked questions
Currently, Registrations of Interest are open to precincts from Greater Sydney.
Regional areas will be able to apply at a later date.
Both council-led and non-council-led precincts are eligible to submit an application. However, all applicants must demonstrate support from their local council to proceed with the development of a Purple Flag submission.
There are no costs involved in being part of the Purple Flag program.
The accreditation process can take up to three months from the time an application is submitted, due to the thorough assessment and review required to achieve Purple Flag status.
Purple Flag accreditation is renewed every two years through a detailed assessment process. A yearly progress report is also required to maintain your accreditation status.
Some of the ways you can get involved in the Purple Flag process include:
- Becoming a lead: take the initiative to lead a Purple Flag application for your precinct.
- Joining a working group: reach out to an existing lead to explore opportunities to join their working group. You can contact your local Council to find out if there’s already a working group operating in your area.
- Becoming an assessor: express your interest in becoming a Purple Flag assessor by reaching out to purpleflag@24houreconomy.nsw.gov.au. |
You can also choose to become involved by visiting an existing Purple Flag accredited precinct to see what it’s all about.
For more information on these roles and how to get involved, please refer to the Purple Flag Program Guidelines.
For more information
For more information on other programs, see the 24-hour economy pages.
For more information on Purple Flag email purpleflag@24houreconomy.nsw.gov.au