Venues NSW wants approval for 15 annual events McDonald Jones Stadium

Venues NSW, which owns the stadium, has submitted plans with City of Newcastle to raise the number of non-sporting events it can hold per year from five to 15.

It comes less than a year after the NSW government agency lodged a proposal to hold five non-sporting events a year at the Knights home ground, leading to the Elton John concerts in January.

The plan was the result of a major event partnership between Venues NSW and City of Newcastle to bring major and international events to McDonald Jones Stadium and the Newcastle Entertainment Centre.

It is expected that the proposed increase to 15 events would create even more interest for promoters to bring entertainment to the stadium.

It also opens the door for more variety of events, such as carols and markets.

"Given the success of Elton John's two concerts, the first concerts at McDonald Jones Stadium in over 30 years, and Pink pre-sales, we want to ensure McDonald Jones Stadium continues to attract and host major non-sporting events of this scale in the future," a Venues NSW spokesperson said.

Pink is set to perform at the stadium in February 2024, while Venues NSW has confirmed it is pursuing more concerts for the coming summer.

"Given the established success of major non-sporting events under the existing approval ... it is maintained that McDonald Jones Stadium is a highly suitable venue from the proposed development," documents lodged with council said.

The stadium hosts up to 35 large sporting events annually and more than 200 smaller events, as well as the five major events authorised under the current approval.

If the modification plan is approved, the venue would be able to host more concerts a year than Sydney's Allianz Stadium, which has a capacity of six.

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