Pre-Covid, seeds for the Night at the Barracks concept were being sewn when two Beaches blokes, Brendan Maher and Cam Coghlan, had an epiphany. “We wanted to re-imagine the live event experience at a stunning venue which is a true hidden gem of Sydney,” Brendan recalls. “We’re both proud locals and we’ve always had a huge appreciation of North Head. It’s a magic place, and was perfect for our vision, capable of staging an event that would showcase to locals and visitors how amazing the Northern Beaches really is.”
“We are also passionate about sharing great music,” Cam explains. “And this combination, having iconic live outdoor performances within the historic, natural beauty and ecological diversity of The Barracks precinct, no matter what challenges we’ve had to overcome, we’ve always trusted that this combination is sure to provide people with a completely unique and memorable experience.”
It’s important to understand, Brendan and Cam love a challenge, a characteristic integral to the pair forging remarkable career paths in the always challenging events industry. When you see Nitro Circus doing back flips, launching from flaming indoor mountains of dirt, or witness the glitz, glam, and lightshow extravaganza of the world’s most flamboyant stars putting on mind-bending performances, odds are Brendan and Cam have been instrumental in staging the perfectly orchestrated pandemonium.
So, while the fact that even running a concert series at North Head was a concept that no one had ever considered before would likely give others cause for concern, this merely convinced Brendan and Cam furthermore they were on track to creating something incredible. Add to that, no one had ever sought to bring such an extensive line-up of high calibre artists to the Northern Beaches either. Good! More evidence their mission was on song.
The Covid pandemic tried, and temporarily succeeded, to decimate humanity and the events industry, but throughout the enforced isolation, the pair’s focus on ensuring Night at the Barracks was a roaring success never wavered. “This idea actually kept us motivated through the Covid rollercoaster,” Cam recalls. “Because we were so excited to be able to bring this to people once the world regained some sense of normality.”
That time has come, the world has regained some sense of normality, and Brendan and Cam’s dedication to their Night at the Barracks concept is poised for fruition. The delivery of the event will provide employment for in excess of 600 artists, crew and support staff. They’ve gone to painstaking efforts to ensure North Head’s ecosystem is kept pristine, with zero impact to the sanctuary’s abundant flaura, fauna and wildlife their highest priority. Plus, with transport to and from the Barracks so crucial, be ready to see the Night at the Barracks ($5 return journey) shuttle buses become part of the landscape throughout the event.
Final preparations are now underway, performers are warming their vocal cords, and stage crews are transforming the historic space into a world-class performance venue. Time for some well-earned reflection. “I guess Cam and I just looked around and saw how lucky we are to live where we do and wanted simply to share it with people,” Brendan explains. “This gave us the motivation to put such a huge event on. It’s also been really important for us to engage with the community and really make this event one that brings benefits to everybody.” Let the show begin.
Night at the Barracks concert series launches Friday 9 September with Jessica Mauboy’s anthology show and runs for 16 enthralling performances featuring Australia’s biggest names in pop, indie, musical theatre, dance, rock, opera and jazz through to the Tim Finn finale on Sunday 9 October.
Book tickets here: nightatthebarracks.com.au