Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Australia

---

 

What is Sydney Gay Mardi Gras?

.
The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is a annual carnival-style celebration held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The event is recognized asone of the largest marches of support for the LGBTQI community in the world. In addition, it is a celebration like no other, offering a wide range of events related to the Mardi Gras theme.

The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras events are one of the longest running LGBTQI events in Australia. The event is the result of an ongoing battle by activists to gain equal rights, fight discrimination and oppression, and provide spaces for the community to express themselves freely in a safe and supportive environment.

 

 

The goal of the event is to promote diversity, inclusion, equity andsocial justice through the transmission of culture, creativity andcommunity support. Likewise, the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras operates under 5 core values: Integrity, Creativity, Responsibility, Respect and Equity, these are the principles on which the organization implements its functions.

The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras has been working on a strategic plan whose purpose is to continue to provide spaces and claim itself as an organization that watches over the rights and duties of the community. In this way, it has been in constant collaboration with various international communities to continue to occupy spaces and raise awareness among as many people as possible.

 

WorldPride Sydney 2023

.
The InterPride, an International Organization of LGBTQI Event Organizers, and other like-minded organizations, have chosen the city of Sydney to hold WorldPride, a large-scale event that celebrates diversity of culture and gender identity. For the celebration in the city of Sydney, the organization sought to provide spaces of expression exclusively aimed at the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Support

.
Sydney Carnivals has had the support of a number of local and federal politicians such as Natasha Stott, Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, Tanya Plibersek, Prime Minister Barry O’Farrell and the current mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore. These personalities not only support the cause with political speeches, but also actively join in the celebrations.

Hundreds of thousands of Australians andinternational guests participate in support by being part of the parade. TheSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is internationally regarded as one of thebiggest and best LGBTQI marches and festivals in the world and has been described as a tourist must for any member of the community.

The Sydney Gay Carnival has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through funding to continue hosting events and parades and all related entertainment provided at the carnival festivities.

 

.

 

When is Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

?
Sydney Gay Carnival or Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras is an annual celebration that begins on the second Thursday in February and ends on the first Saturday in March.

LSydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras celebrations will take place from approximately February 11 to Saturday, March 6. The days with the most participation and importance in the celebrations are when the Carnival Fair and the Gay Mardi Gras Parade and Parade and Gay Mardi Gras Party take place.

 

 

History of Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.
The Sydney Gay Carnival was the result of a series of demonstrations to contribute to the international gay celebrations in 1978. These demonstrations proved to be a milestone for theLGBTQI community and the cultural heritage of Australia. This particular day struck deep into the community’s memory and the city’s history, as a large number of those arrested were tortured, causing a large wave of protests and arrests that were punished with even more violence.

The following year the New South Wales Parliament repealed the Act legislation that had allowed the arrests to take place. The first Mardi Gras march was an important milestone in the civil rights of the gay community. For that first edition of the carnival in the year 1979, some 3,000 people attended in a parade without any altercations.

In 1980 the first After Party or Post Party was introduced, initiating the parties that are known today and held after the parade. In this way. the event began to have extensive media coverage from the mid-1980s onwards and participation continued to increase to a peak of over 500,000 in just 4 years. Thousands of visitors from all over Australia and the world would come to be part of the festivities.

Throughout the late 1990s and early part of this century, Mardi Gras continued to grow in numbers of tourists and spectators along with an increase in the quality of events and scope of the festival. Its themes each year represent the themes of the day and encourage groups left out to join the festivities to establish a larger family that works for the inclusion of all.

 

Where is Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

?
TheGay Carnival or Gay and Lesbian Mardi celebrations take place in the city of Sydney, one of the most populous and popular cities in Australia and Oceania..

The city of Sydney has a total area of 12,367 square kilometers where about 5 million people live, managing to acquire the number 1 position in the most populous cities in the country.

 

 

How Sydney Gay Mardi Gras is celebrated

.

Carnival Parade

.
The Gay Carnival Parade in Sydney is usually the most famous event and the one that culminates the Mardi Gras festivities. This event is a protest for LGBTQI rights and the celebration of sexuality. The parade features over 8,500 participants who are introduced by acommunity group and express some topical issue or political message. People attending the parade do not necessarily have to be directly related to the movement, they can make an appearance to support members.

Parades usually begin with a large wave of bikers of about 200 people, who are known as “Dykes on Bikes” or Lesbians on Bikes. In addition, there is the participation of several international organizations such as Amnesty International Australia and several Non-Governmental Organizations. Likewise, some politicians, artists or public figures of great importance can also be seen.

Thousands of people cross the streets of the city with banners, floats and silbatos announcing their arrival. In addition, the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is highly covered by the media, so it is broadcast on radios as well as on television media and the press.

 

Gay Mardi Gras After Party

.
The After Party of the parade is one of the biggest events of the carnivals and counts with the participation of thousands of people every year, adding up to 15 thousand people per night. The After Party or Post Party features great artists of national and international renown. In previous years there has been the participation ofWynter Gordon, Calvin Harris, Conchita Wurst, Deborah Cox, The Veronicas, Cher, Dua Lipa, Kesha and Sam Smith.

If you want to know more about tourism in this country I recommend this guide:.

 

Mardi Gras Fair

.
It emerged in 1979 as a Lifestyle Fair. The fair is a space where thousands of people often come out to sit on the lawn, browse the booths, hang out or make some new friends. It also has a good entertainment environment and live music with national and international artists.

The fair has about 250 volunteers to set up more than 220 booths of LGBTQI community groups for integration and assistance to the communities that make up the movement.

 

Mardi Gras Awards

.
The Mardi Gras Awards are awards presented to organizations or individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the carnival festivities and the LGBTQI community in general.

 

Mardi Gras Festival

.
The festival offers live performances such as cabaret, comedy, music, literature, art, lectures, sports activities and theater. In addition, it includes screenings exclusively of international and local gay and lesbian films.

 

Tips for going to Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

.

If you wish to attend the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, we recommend planning your trip in advance, making a travel itinerary and reserving your preferred accommodations in advance. Also, be sure to pack comfortable clothes and shoes so you can fully enjoy the carnivals.

Keep in mind that some events have an entrance fee and others are free. Ticket costs depend on the type of event you wish to attend, so some events can be as low as 30 Australian dollars, while others are over 100 dollars.

 

Events at Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

.
The Sydney Gay Carnival has a large and extensive program of activities, so we will highlight some of the most important and mentioned above.

 

Hub Festival

.
This is a great celebration held at the Seymour Center and usually runs from the beginning to the end of Carnival except on Mondays. Within the event you will find a large number oftheatrical performances, music, dances, cabaret show, workshops and many otherentertaining and recreational activities.

 

Fair

.
It is usually installed in the Victoria Park and is only installed for one day, complying with a schedule from 10 am to 9 pm. The venue is a quiet space to hang out, play some outdoor games, stroll through the stores and stalls and enjoy somelive music.

 

Carnival Parade

.
The Carnivals begin at 7:30 in the evening at Oxford and Flinders Streets. In the parade you can see hundreds and hundreds of groups taking to the streets with costumes, posters and carriages. The event is celebrated with great excitement and is aspace for awareness and tolerance.

 

After Party

.
The After Party is held in and around the Hordem Pavilion and is usually held from 10 pm to 8 am. The event includes alarge number of events and performances by DJs and singers from all over the world who come to celebrate the Gay Carnival festivities.

 

Pool Party

.
It is one of the events that has been held previously and has a large number of participants. It is usually held at the Ivy Pool Club from 2 pm until 11 pm. Inside the event you can take in a large and varied selection of cocktails, live music and a great summer vibe.

 

Sissy Ball

.
The event is a great celebration that takes place at the Enmore Theathre, usually from 6 pm to 11 pm. Inside the event you can see great dance performances, free performances and a great Vogue vibe on stage.

 

.

 

Sydney Gay Mardi Gras Parades

.
The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Gay Carnival parade takes place on the last day of the celebrations. During the event the streets turn into a great tide of people who traverse the city with costumes, posters or simply cheering in the streets with whistles. The event features a small group of people at the front called “Pre-Parade Bikes“, after this come the “Parade Floats” or Parade Floats..

 

 

The Pre-Parade Bikes consists of two main groups: “Dykes on Bikes Sydney” and “Boys on Bikes“. The first of these consists of a large group of women belonging to theMotorcycle Club, one of the oldest groupings in the movement, who ride through the streets on large motorcycles and holding flags and banners. The second group consists of more or less the same, only it is made up mainly of men.

The Parade-Floats are the rest of the groupings that are part of the parade. These can be on foot or withdecorated and themed floats. The list of participants is extremely long. In fact, it has 200 groupings that walk through the streets and include the different sectors such as thepeople with reduced mobility, rural sectors,health sectors, sports sectors and many more.

 

Parade route

.

.

 

The parade takes place in and around Oxford and Flinders Streets.

 

 

What to eat at Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.
As in many other carnival fairs or Mardi Gras, food can never be missing, so during the carnival you can find a wide variety of food stalls ranging from sweet to savory. We recommend you try as much of the variedAustralian cuisine as you can.

One of the most iconic desserts in Australia is the Lamington or Lamingtons in plural. They are small square biscuits that are coated with chocolate and coconut. Inside you can find a thin layer of jam and usually comes in the shape of a lollipop. The dessert is ideal to eat at lunchtime or as a quick snack.

Another of the traditional meals of Sydney, although somewhat particular is the “Hamburger wih Beetroot” orHamburger is beetroot. Although it may seem like a strange combination, it is actually one of the most popular street foods. It only consists of adding a nice piece of beet to the burger. However, some places are a little more delicate and put a kind of sauce or preserve of this vegetable.

In addition, Sydney offers a large number of places where you can go to eat whenever you want. The best known are: Thai Pothong, Social Brew Café, Flavour of India, Sydeny Cove Oyster Bar, Zahli and The Ternary. The city’s food has been influenced by the great variety of immigrants from Asia and surrounding areas, resulting in a wide and varied range of options that you can visit.

 

.

 

Travel Insurance

 

From Carnavalesdelmundo.org we recommend taking out a good insurance to visit this carnival and see the rest of the country. For being our readers we offer a 5% discount on all IATI insurance. Read more information about all insurance offers here:

 

 

What to see and do inside Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.
Within the carnivals you canattend the dozens of events that take place during the week. We recommend you keep an eye on the schedule on their website, as the events they present usually rotate from year to year. However, they are always ready to offer you a great variety of shows, entertainment, musical presentations, theater performances and many other activities that involve the collective.

You can’t miss the main events of the carnivals such as the parade, the After Party, the Fair and the Festival. These 4 together are the soul of the festivities and receive every year hundreds of thousands by themselves. In them you can do a lot of activities from spending a quiet day, watching shows and performances or seeing the great tide of people supporting equal rights, tolerance and understanding.

If you don’t want to complicate things, here you can book interesting excursions in Spanish in this city:.

 

What to see and do outside of Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.

Sydney Opera House

.
It is one of the most important icons of the city and is a must-see. If you decide to go, you can pay to access a full tour where they will tell you all the history of the building and all the rooms where large and important concerts and orchestral performances are held.

 

Street art in Newtown

.
It is a kind of urban art museum that you can visit just walking down the street. The art can range from realistic to cartoonish and you can usually take a couple of hours to witness and admire the works. This is definitely one of the attractions you can’t miss.

 

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

.
It is one of the botanical gardens of the city. In its facilities you can see a large number of national and international plants and flowers. In addition, the garden has recreational areas for a picnic or sit on some of its benches and hang out.

Also if you want to visit museums and important buildings in this city we recommend that you book your ticket in advance through Tiquets: .

 

Safety at Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.

 

Sydney is like any other big city in Europe or the United States, so it is extremely safe. However, like any other big city, it does have ordinary criminal activity and petty crime.

We recommend keeping a low profile, keeping your items in a safe place and contacting law enforcement if you identify any suspicious activity.we recommend the following products to keep your items safe:

 

 

Weather at Sydney’s Gay Mardi Gras

.
During the Gay Mardi Gras celebrations, the city of Sydney has pleasant weather, with temperatures ranging from 19 to 26 degrees Celsius. We recommend bringing some sunscreen and staying hydrated at all times. If possible, bring an umbrella to protect you from the sun.

 

.

 

How to get to Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

.

How to get there by plane

.
The closest airport to the city of Sydney is Kingsford Smith International Airport, also known as Sydney Airport. This airport receives a large number of flights from all over the world. Once you are here, you can use the different means of transport to get to the city center.

We recommend buying airline tickets through Kiwi.com or Skyscanner where they are usually cheaper. More information on this link to review Kiwi.com..

 

How to get there by train

.
From the airport you can take a train on the Sydney Trains company to the city center. The ride is 10 minutes and costs about $ 13.

In addition, the city of Sydney offers a network of trains that you can use to transport you within the city or to any other part of the country.

 

How to get there by bus

.
From the airport you can take a bus line N20 of the Punchbowl Bus Company to the city center. The trip takes about 30 minutes and the price ranges from 2 to 18 dollars.

In addition, you can transport you to other adjacent regions and other cities of the country through Sydney Central Station.

 

How to get there by car

.
From the airport you can take the M1 to the center of Sydney. The journey takes about 20 minutes.

If you decide to take a cab, the taxi fare ranges from $40 to $50.

 

Where to stay at Sydney Gay Mardi Gras

.

Booking.com

 

Meriton Suites Kent Street

5 star hotel 700 meters from Sydney city center. Rooms feature air-conditioning, washing machine, cable TV and equipped kitchen. Facilities offer swimming pool, fitness center, parking and free wifi.

 

Great Southern Hotel Sydney

.
4-star hotel 1.3 km from Sydney city center. Rooms feature refrigerator, desk and private bathroom with hairdryer. Facilities include bar, airport transfers, parking and free wifi.

 

Rydges Sydney Harbour (Formerly Holiday Inn Old Sydney)

4-star hotel 1.4 km from Sydney city center. Rooms feature satellite TV, refrigerator, desk and private bathroom. The hotel has a swimming pool, bar, parking and free wifi.

We recommend you use Booking.com to book hotels at a good price, check more information here:.

 

Thank you for reading

.

If you liked this article and found it useful share it on your social networks or collaborate by inviting us for a coffee at Paypal so we can continue creating useful content. Click here to collaborate: