The Gentrification Of Cultural Icon: Paddy’s Markets & Ruminations On Its Past

Editorial Assistant Juliette Allen tackles the various tremendous losses suffered upon the gentrification of Sydney’s cult landmarks, Paddy’s Markets being one of her nearest and dearest.

For many Sydneysiders, like myself, Paddy’s Markets in Haymarket is a vibrant microcosm and a longstanding beating heart of the City, and in a lot of respects, still is, despite all its changes. For many, Paddy’s ‘is not just a market, it’s an Australian icon and an integral part of Chinatown, with a [vast] history of offering affordable fresh produce and cheap general goods’[1]. 

When reflecting on what to write for Nostalgia, Grapeshot’s final issue for the year, I wanted to delve into something that I think hasn’t been widely examined, besides TikTok videos expressing dismay about the new gentrified Paddy’s, or a disgruntled opinion piece online here and there. Otherwise, there hasn’t been enough discussion surrounding this great dissipation of culture and community. I stumbled upon such a TikTok a while back and was met with an instant sense of loss and bewilderment at the market hall's $20 million facelift with a modern, Instagrammable food hub that boasted what looked to be French boulangerie-esque stalls. This is a stark difference from the humble days of vendors stacked on top of each other with cramped fold-out plastic tables displaying an abundance of knick-knacks and accessories adorning every inch of space they had. 

Paddy’s Market transports me back to a time when, as a young kid, I visited on a muggy day in the school holidays. I remember being with some friends and our parents languidly walking behind whilst we weaved in and around the densely populated stalls and crowds, with a cacophony of noise coming from each direction, all kinds of smells, good and bad, assaulting the senses. I recall one market vendor catching our attention while he showed us his huge collection of colourful magic markers that changed colours when combined and could disguise secret messages behind the markings, only to be revealed with a black light. If you couldn’t tell, I was enthralled, as were all my friends, and we begged our parents to get them. It was a lovely day out, and I used those magic markers to death for a while to come. 

The Paddy’s Markets I remember is summed up perfectly by a quote from The Guardian purporting that Paddy’s ‘is a proper wet market that’s noisy, occasionally smelly (well, there’s a seafood section) and truly vibrant, a quality so often advertised by real estate agents but so rarely found in reality. The floor’s well-used cement, the stalls are extremely ad-hoc, and, on a hot day, the only respite is a few giant overhead fans’[2].  Indeed, despite these uncomfortable qualities for the market, it’s what made it special. It was the one place in the city that was unapologetically ‘tacky’ but in the best way. And ‘somehow, this seemingly un-gentrifiable spot escaped the fate of its neighbouring areas, remaining a haven for locals. Here, [you’d] find beloved noodle joints passed down through generations, cheap cigarettes, and melt-in-your-mouth pork buns—an oasis and an increasingly rare escape from QR codes and franchise chains’[3]. Until it didn’t. ‘Once again, Sydney has taken another long step further into the cultureless trenches of corporate-friendly gentrification’[4].

What makes Paddy’s Markets an Australian Icon in particular is its rich history that cannot go unnoticed. The building itself is highly regarded for its connection with ‘the cultural landscape of the Chinese community in Sydney since 1870, with buildings listed on Place Managements NSW’s Heritage Conservation Register’[5]. Indeed the markets date back in further to ‘1834 when Governor Bourke decided to move traders in hay and grain to a site next to the new cattle market in Campbell Street, Sydney’[6], along with his decision later allowing ‘the markets to stay open till 10.00 pm on Saturdays, which marks the real beginnings of what we know today as Sydney’s Paddy’s Markets’[7]. In those days, ‘the market was an open-air affair, a mixture of merry-go-rounds, sideshows, farmers with produce and animals for sale, second-hand dealers, craftsmen, and members of the rag trade. It was an Irish tradition, hence the name “Paddy’s”, and it was only natural that it should be constituted in a colony that had received 30,000 male and 9000 female convicts directly from Ireland, as well as thousands of Irish immigrants from places like Liverpool’[8]. It is this history that makes Paddy’s so important due to its local heritage and community values.

Today, Paddy’s Market has ‘been redeveloped many times over the years, often igniting a sense of nostalgia’[9]. Now, Paddy’s has had an extensive part of the site leased to Doltone Hospitality Group, who are responsible for the gentrified upmarket food and dining precinct. Indeed, CEO of Sydney Markets Limited Brad Latham, who currently owns Paddy’s, has said that redevelopment ‘was necessary, citing long-term stall vacancies and visitor numbers down by half on pre-pandemic levels. He believes this renewal is needed to revitalise the markets and ensure that Paddy’s is viable for years to come’[10]. Undoubtedly the pandemic would definitely have impacted on the markets but it begs the question ‘If they need to fill more space, why not install tables, and rent to small stallholders for a high-quality, late-opening hawker market’ [11] And Whilst Mr Latham is confident that Paddy’s will continue to prosper, it’s gentrification has turned people off Paddy’s completely, this is evident in a blog post in MonkeyBoyStory’s that after a visit to ‘Paddy’s on the weekend, it isn’t starving for customers, and I’ve never once heard in my life that someone wished the place was actually an expensive food court that had zero connection to Chinatown’ [12]. What the redevelopment has achieved is ‘the loss of significant heritage and social value, and a possible decrease in food security given the market’s affordable produce. The City of Sydney Council recommended seeking state government funding to reinvigorate Paddy’s in its traditional form, but the planned redevelopment [went ahead] after the NSW Supreme Court ruled in Sydney Markets’ favour.’ [13] 

Reflecting on my own memories of Paddy’s, it was all part of the experience, the tacky bits, the food, smells, chaos, and charm; these were all essential qualities that made it what it was. Paddy’s was different things to different people: a local food hub or the place where you took the kids to marvel at all the stalls and run around and find solace in the chaos. Of course, there are also the people who relied on Paddy’s for affordable produce and for the people whose livelihoods depended on it. These are all components of nostalgia, and one where the gentrification of these markets means there is a loss of this cultural icon. ‘Other cities wouldn’t dream of making major changes to institutions like Paddy’s Markets and once they’re gone, there’s no way to bring them back, because unlike the souvenirs on sale, the cultural icon that is Paddy’s is of very great value indeed’. _[14]

End Notes: 

[1], [5], [6], [7], [8] City Of Sydney. (2023). Decision - Protecting Paddy’s Market. City of Sydney. https://meetings.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=1469

[2], [11], [14]  Knight, D. (2023). Paddy’s market is a Sydney institution - don’t let them ruin it. The Guardian.  Paddy’s market is a Sydney institution - don’t let them ruin it | The Guardian 

[3], [4], [12]  Monkeyboy (2025). I despise the new Paddys. Monkey Boy Storys.I despise the new Paddys - by monkeyboy.sydney 

[9], [10],[13] Ayoub. R (2025). Paddy’s Markets. State Library of New South Wales.  Paddy’s Markets | State Library of New South Wales