No arrests after 15,000 backpackers, expats leave ‘pigsty’ at Christmas Day bash

Thousands of backpackers and expats left behind a “pigsty” after descending on Coogee Beach for a burgeoning Christmas Day tradition, triggering a swift clean-up operation into the early hours of Boxing Day.

Police estimated up to 15,000 tourists, far from their families but still keen to celebrate, congregated at Coogee after plans to stage the party at Bronte – the usual site of the annual gathering – were abandoned following a Waverley Council crackdown on revellers.

The final partygoers left the reserve around 9pm, while Randwick Council workers swept and cleared the foreshore reserve into the early hours of Friday morning.

There were no criminal or violent incidents recorded. Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said attendees complied with directions from police and park rangers, who were enforcing an alcohol ban in the park.

“We’ve had people who were there cleaning throughout the day and late into the evening as well,” Parker told 2GB.

“I’m pretty disappointed in the state that people left Coogee Beach in – it was a bit of a pigsty, but you could not tell this morning, they really are doing some miracle work through the night and early into the morning.”

The Coogee foreshore was spotless on Friday morning. Council staff hosed down the benches and pavers overlooking the reserve, while garbage bins were collected and emptied as the sun rose.

Parker praised the efforts of the police, who began to disperse the event around 6.30pm after several hours of partying.

Lifeguards warned against swimming while drinking on Thursday as the crowd partied with the Hare Krishnas, dancing in circles or on shoulders, and two DJs played at either end of the Coogee lawns.

Katie McHugh, who is English and in Australia on a working holiday, said the party at Coogee was going fine.

“As long as people tidy up, it’s free land, people should do as they want,” she said on Thursday.

Hector Hernandez, from Spain, has been in Australia for two-and-a-half years, but this was his first Christmas beach party.

“It’s fun, but it’s a complete mess,” Hernandez said.

“I went to the toilet and it’s disgusting, there’s no preparation … no one was prepared.”

Randwick Council worked closely with police to prepare for a potential influx of people on Christmas Day. More bins had been provided and additional cleaning and waste staff were rostered to help with the aftermath.

The council also sought to remind attendees that Randwick’s beaches and parks are alcohol-free zones, putting up posters and delivering information to nearby backpacker hostels.

Signs advised attendees that alcohol was prohibited and glass was not allowed, while council rangers roamed the crowd.

The unauthorised Coogee Beach festivities came after Randwick’s northern neighbour, Waverley Council, cracked down on celebrations at Bronte Beach, following an “unacceptable” mess left behind last year.

Waverley this year spent more than $250,000 on increased police and security, including checkpoints where alcohol would be confiscated, additional cleaning, buses and toilets, as well as crowd management.

The council always discouraged people from attending at Bronte, but concern was heightened this year by the redevelopment of the surf life saving club, meaning a huge crowd could be crammed into an even smaller space, Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said in a statement.

“Just in case, knowing we can’t ban people from public places and always keen to be prepared, council devised a multipronged management plan to help cope with crowds, bad behaviour, traffic, noise and the clean-up task,” Nemesh said.

“But our warnings were heard, and it was a peaceful day at Bronte. I am pleased we did not see a repeat of the chaotic scenes of 2024, and I am sure locals are relieved too.”

Some extra resources and cleaning crews had also been sent down to Coogee from Bronte, Randwick Council’s spokesperson said.

Residents near Bronte have been criticising the Christmas Day party for years, complaining about noise, rubbish, antisocial behaviour and the use of the park as a “mass urinal”.

Some attendees at Coogee on Thursday were urinating in bottles or in showers amid long lines for the toilets.

French national Jul Krasousky said she wanted to go to Bronte on Thursday, “but it was closed and there were too many cops, and they were checking for alcohol”.

“It’s summer, it’s Christmas, we’re on vacation,” she said.

“If we were in France, we wouldn’t do it. But we have no family, we want to be with friends and everyone’s here.”

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