It’s hot, it’s big, it’s sparkly and colourful, it’s loud, it’s in time with the music and it’s live! It’s also shown on prime time television and attended by families as well as party animals, it’s a spectacle like no other - it’s The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras!

The irony of the success of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is the opposition the original event in 1978 received. Held as a solidarity march in response to New York’s Stonewall riots, the initial march was marred by clashes with police and 53 arrests. The arrests were later quashed and in the process support for the event grew. Recent events have attracted crowds of more than 500,000 with participants coming from all over the world to take part in the season of events that now surrounds the parade.

The evening itself involves marching, floats, costumes and dancing (and mad parties!) and closes down large sections of central Sydney (if you‘re not going to the parade it‘s best not to try and go out on Mardi Gras night.). You need to stake your spot along the route early to get a good view and it's become popular to book hotel rooms along the route.

The parade after party is one of the hottest tickets in town. Its popularity hasn’t lessened the inclusive message, but it can be trickier to get tickets for events if you’re not gay…

Official Website of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Written by  Kat Mackintosh.

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