People power is truly amazing! Take Nights on Ocean Street as instance. Initiated by the Maroochydore Revitalisation Association, the idea was to create a cross between a Street Festival and a Market aimed at bringing a lot more fun and lifestyle back into the heart of Maroochydore’s business districts.

The idea was simple enough. Create a casual and fun street ‘marketplace atmosphere’ that people could come along to without all the pressures usually associated with a night out in town.

Central to the concept was the evolution of a base within the Maroochydore Ocean Street precinct for the promotion of art and clothing designers. The exposure bringing their businesses to the public eye with thereby expanding the current hub of great food, bar and retail outlets already trading within the precinct.

The issue had been that for over a decade the future of the inner city Maroochydore area had been in a state of flux due to the Horton Park Redevelopment and the ongoing redevelopment of the Big Top Shopping Centre. The wait was long and the area lost its impetus / buzz. It was languishing along with its many businesses.

Incorporated late last year with the aim of providing the business community a strong unified voice, The Maroochydore Revitalisation Association (MRA) looked to promote the reinvigoration of Maroochydore’s city heart, creating a more vibrant community food and entertainment hub. The secret to the success of a community project like this would come from the genuine commitment of the street vendors, the nearby restaurants, coffee shops and businesses injecting fun and a vibrant atmosphere into what essentially was a business centre. The MRA has since seen 230 people add their voice to the organisation.

Friday Night Ocean Street is about grabbing a taste of a humming community bent on family fun, good food and an opportunity for a sing and dance! The cry became; ‘Don’t go home after work this Friday! This free event will be, in every sense, a community movement that has the capacity to transform the way we use our city centre by giving one street back to the people, at least once each month.

Join your neighbours and workmates on Friday at Nights Ocean Street. Grab a cold beer at the hand made bar in the old post office alleyway along with a $10 burger from Happy Harrys (by five star chef Tony Kelly) or a bite from one of the many food stalls and restaurants like Zahtar, Machu Picu, Sol Bar or Old Souls Bar. Check out the local art work, street wear, musician, balloon artists and enjoy an entertaining evening with your friends and colleges.

The project was kicked off to great success and reviews with the Ocean Street World Festival back in March, which really lit the fire under the spirit of Nights on Ocean. This single event provided the opportunity to get the message out to thousands of local residents, business people and visitors within the community about what was happening on Ocean Street.

The Sunshine Coast Daily recently interview MRA secretary Joseph Riba, who said the group hoped the twice-monthly Friday night event would bring a real buzz to Ocean St and boost awareness of the precinct and growing popularity of venues such as Piano Bar, Green Out and Solbar.

“We want this to be a precinct that people talk about, that people travel to for a Friday night event, like say West End in Brisbane,” Mr Riba said.

He said the association was never intended to be all about business, it was about delivering fun and lifestyle to the centre of Maroochydore.

“It was about offering at least a taste of what our capital city counterparts can enjoy,” Mr Riba said. “We also wanted to make use of the existing infrastructure and resources available in Maroochydore.

“We think that we achieved that goal, at least for a day, with the Ocean St World Festival in March and that spirit will be revived with Nights on Ocean,” Mr Riba said.

If you haven’t already made it out to Nights on Ocean you should. Just grab a few friends or make some new ones whilst you’re there because it really is a fabulous way to spend a Friday night in Maroochydore.

Nights On Ocean Street
is held every 2nd Friday night of the month from 5pm to 9pm.
Event Cost: Free Event
For further information please contact 07 5479 1488.