Business Opportunities at Parramatta Lanes

Parramatta Lanes is one of the City’s biggest annual events, and it creates opportunities for local businesses to be discovered as people explore the CBD across the festival period.

Last year saw our biggest local business participation ever, with 37 local businesses jumping on board to deliver a fantastic program of Parramatta Lanes activations and special offers. Hear from local businesses who took part in Parramatta Lanes last year and how it supported their business.

The 2026 approach is designed to make business participation clearer, more relevant and more experience-led, with a stronger focus on storytelling, discovery and helping visitors find places to eat, drink, explore and stay longer in the City.

Opportunity 1: Special Parramatta Lanes Offers / Open Late

This pathway is for small-medium sized local businesses that want to add to the Parramatta Lanes atmosphere beyond the main event program. It includes businesses that:

• stay open late during Parramatta Lanes, including after 10pm, and/or 
• create a Parramatta Lanes-themed menu item, product, promotion or in-venue offer. 

This option may suit restaurants, bars, dessert venues, retailers and other operators within the event footprint in the Parramatta CBD who want to welcome festival crowds and give them another reason to keep exploring the City. 

Eligibility
To be considered, businesses should:

• be located within the Parramatta Lanes footprint, and 
• offer something relevant to the event themes (Eats. Beats. Art. Play) and audience. 

Promotional support may include:

• inclusion on Parramatta Lanes Eats, Beats and Art/Play webpages, 
• inclusion in itinerary-style blog content such as where to eat or where to go after Lanes, 
• organic social media and content creator amplification, and 
• inclusion on event maps and in media activity where relevant

Opportunity 2: Activations

This pathway is for businesses that want to create a live, on-ground experience as part of Parramatta Lanes. It includes:

• live music, art or performance, 
• food or beverage pop-up stalls, and 
• experiential activations aligned to event programming. 

This option is best suited to small-medium sized local businesses that can offer something distinctive, event-specific and audience-focused. 

Eligibility

To be considered, activations should:

• be from a local small-medium sized Parramatta business,
• offer a unique Parramatta Lanes-specific experience, 
• strongly align with the event’s theme and audience, and 
• have the capacity to operate during event operating hours. 

Promotional support may include

• inclusion on Parramatta Lanes Eats, Beats and Art/Play webpages, 
• inclusion in itinerary-style blog content, 
• organic social media and content creator amplification, and 
• inclusion on event maps and in media activity where relevant.