How many of your fave venues have been shut down? How many more are to come? It's unfortunately the sad truth that the lockout laws imposed upon Sydney back in February 2014 have been rapidly killing off our important night-life culture, forcing many of our beloved live music venues to close their doors permanently. 

The Flinders, Soho, Hugo's Lounge, The Lansdowne, and The Exchange Hotel are just a few in the long list of Sydney venues shut down since the introduction of lockouts.. How many more of these iconic venues need to be closed down, and how many hundreds of jobs must be lost before the government finds a different solution?

There is a light at the end of the tunnel however as Keep Sydney Open hopes to rebuild our city a safe and fulfilling late-night culture. The laws were imposed for a reason, and that was to make the night safer for everyone and reduce night-time assault. We all want to feel safe - but these laws just aren't cutting it. Instead of reducing, the violence has shifted from Sydney into neighbouring areas.

Keep Sydney Open wants us to work together with the government to create innovative solutions - and the first step is getting rid of the lockout. It's obvious this doesn't really address violence, so let's create measures that do. Tell the government that we need a change in laws - sign the petition letting premier Mike Baird know that we want new solutions which recognise the importance of nightlife culture to our community and economy.

Keep your fave venues open, give your favourite bands somewhere to play.... Let's keep Sydney open!

For more information on Keep Sydney Open and their mission, visit their website & like them on Facebook.