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The Big Top
Entrance to venue (c.2013)
Full nameThe Big Top at Luna Park Sydney
Former namesLuna Circus (planning/construction)
Address1300 Big Top
Sydney NSW 2061
Australia
LocationLuna Park, Milsons Point
OwnerBrookfield Metro Edgley Pty Ltd
OperatorLuna Park Venues
Capacity2,950
Construction
Broke ground7 February 2003 (2003-02-07)
Opened2 April 2004 (2004-04-02)
Construction cost$20 million
($33.1 million in 2022 dollars[1])
ArchitectHassell
Structural engineerMacDonald Contracting
Services engineerDouglas Partners
General contractorCordell 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

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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 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 of Sunset Boulevard (featuring Judi Connelli and Michael Cormick) on 3 April 2004.[5] Australian bands that have performed at Luna Park include INXS in '82, Silverchair in '97, Jet (at Big Top) in '09, Sick Puppies (at Big Top) in '07, and Parkway Drive (at Big Top) in '09.


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

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References

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  1. ^ AU = 1850-1901: McLean, I.W. (1999), Consumer Prices and Expenditure Patterns in Australia 1850–1914. Australian Economic History Review, 39: 1-28 (taken W6 series from Table A1, which represents the average inflation in all of Australian colonies). For later years, calculated using the pre-decimal inflation calculator provided by the Reserve Bank of Australia for each year, input: £94 8s (94.40 Australian pounds in decimal values), start year: 1901.
  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.
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