Coca Cola Billboard, Kings Cross
Encyclopedia
The Coca Cola Billboard located in Kings Cross
, Sydney
is a heritage-listed
advertising billboard that is owned by the Coca-Cola Company
, However the sign is often viewed more as an iconic landmark rather than an advertisement. It is considered to be the premier billboard in Sydney and is the largest billboard in the Southern Hemisphere
.
The Coca Cola sign is located above the intersection of William Street
and Darlinghurst Road and is attached to the Millennium, formerly the Kingsgate Hotel. The sign is often referred to as The Gate Way to the Cross, mainly due to its common perception as a highly visible landmark in Kings Cross and also because it is located above the cross intersection from which the suburb got part of its name. The billboard is made up of two parts on the right the famous red and white neon sign and on the left the more modern, flex-faced sign. In total the sign is 41 metres in length and 13 metres in height, with the right sign being slightly larger at 21 metres in length.
The red and white neon sign is made up of eighty-eight vertical bars of red tubing, the sign also has 800 fluorescent lamps that are concealed behind reflectors that allow the billboard to project thirteen different patterns. The left part of the billboard is a flex-face style sign and is internally illuminated by approximately 1,000 fluorescent lamps.
On 18 April 2008 CCA purchased the iconic Coca-Cola sign in Kings Cross, Sydney. The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) has leased the sign since it was built in 1976. CCA and TCCC will maintain the current leasing arrangements.
in its current location whilst the left side of the billboard was a later addition in 1990. In 2004 the billboard for the first time in thirty years advertised a product other than Coca Cola, when the left side of the board advertised the release of Halo 2
.
On March 31, 2007 the lights on the billboard were intentionally switched off for the first time, in correlation with the inaugural Earth Hour
.
On April 23, 2008, four activists unfurled a banner over the billboard in protest of Coke’s sponsorship of the Olympic torch relay at Kings Cross. The banner read: "Enjoy Compassion. Always Tibet. CHINA - TALK TO THE DALAI LAMA". All four activists were arrested.
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
is a heritage-listed
advertising billboard that is owned by the Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, However the sign is often viewed more as an iconic landmark rather than an advertisement. It is considered to be the premier billboard in Sydney and is the largest billboard in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
.
The sign
William Street, Sydney
William Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia. It runs from Kings Cross to Hyde Park where it turns into Park Street. The street forms the border between the two suburbs of Woolloomooloo and Darlinghurst. Today the newly completed Cross City Tunnel follows much of the route of William...
and Darlinghurst Road and is attached to the Millennium, formerly the Kingsgate Hotel. The sign is often referred to as The Gate Way to the Cross, mainly due to its common perception as a highly visible landmark in Kings Cross and also because it is located above the cross intersection from which the suburb got part of its name. The billboard is made up of two parts on the right the famous red and white neon sign and on the left the more modern, flex-faced sign. In total the sign is 41 metres in length and 13 metres in height, with the right sign being slightly larger at 21 metres in length.
The red and white neon sign is made up of eighty-eight vertical bars of red tubing, the sign also has 800 fluorescent lamps that are concealed behind reflectors that allow the billboard to project thirteen different patterns. The left part of the billboard is a flex-face style sign and is internally illuminated by approximately 1,000 fluorescent lamps.
On 18 April 2008 CCA purchased the iconic Coca-Cola sign in Kings Cross, Sydney. The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) has leased the sign since it was built in 1976. CCA and TCCC will maintain the current leasing arrangements.
History
The red and white neon billboard was erected in 1974in its current location whilst the left side of the billboard was a later addition in 1990. In 2004 the billboard for the first time in thirty years advertised a product other than Coca Cola, when the left side of the board advertised the release of Halo 2
Halo 2
Halo 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie Studios. Released for the Xbox video game console on November 9, 2004, the game is the second installment in the Halo franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed Halo: Combat Evolved...
.
On March 31, 2007 the lights on the billboard were intentionally switched off for the first time, in correlation with the inaugural Earth Hour
Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change...
.
On April 23, 2008, four activists unfurled a banner over the billboard in protest of Coke’s sponsorship of the Olympic torch relay at Kings Cross. The banner read: "Enjoy Compassion. Always Tibet. CHINA - TALK TO THE DALAI LAMA". All four activists were arrested.