The Mardi Gras Parade Is Adding Two New Viewing Spots for Its Huge 2023 Return to Oxford Street

2023 is set to be a milestone year for one of Sydney's biggest and most beloved events: the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Firstly, after moving both the 2021 and 2022 events to the Sydney Cricket Ground due to the pandemic, it's finally returning to Oxford Street. Secondly, the parade is marking its huge 45th anniversary. And, it'll also fall under Sydney WorldPride, with that massive LGBTQIA+ celebration heading to the southern hemisphere for the first time ever.

Expect a super-sized shindig as a result, obviously — one so hefty that two new viewing areas are being added for the parade. Due to increased demand already, organisers have announced a couple of fresh ticketed options to join in the fun on Saturday, February 25, 2023: a new party spot called Club Cindy and an all-ages zone named Ruby Road.

At the first new addition, which'll set up shop on Flinders Street and is named after Sydney drag icon Cindy Pastel, Kyle Olsen and Rosie Piper will play host. This is a levelled-up standing area, complete with food options, bars and bathrooms, to add a bit of extra comfort to your Mardi Gras Parade experience.

At the second new space, bringing a picnic rug is recommended. Here, you'll sit at the Moore Park end of the parade route, aka Checkpoint Dorothy, with uninterrupted views of the parade. You'll also be able to hit up food trucks and bars, enjoy live entertainment, and watch relays of the parade, too, on big screens around the venue.

Club Cindy tickets start at $70, while Ruby Road tickets kick off at $50. Given that the theme of the 2023 Mardi Gras Parade is "gather, dream, amplify", the new spaces will also help attendees do just that.

Announcing the new spaces, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Albert Kruger noted that "if you want to escape the crowds, Club Cindy and Ruby Road are the perfect option for you to celebrate WorldPride, our 45th anniversary and the return to our spiritual home of Oxford Street."

"The Sydney Cricket Ground was a fantastic temporary home and feedback from audiences was that they loved the access to amenities that it offered. Now that the Parade is returning to Oxford Street it was important to us that we provide options for spectators."

The Mardi Gras Parade makes its Oxford Street comeback after two stints at the SCG — one featuring noted rainbow aficionados The Wiggles — due to COVID-19, restrictions around the pandemic and distancing precautions.

With the parade taking place as part of Sydney WorldPride in 2023, that means it joins an enormous bill of pride events across 17 days — with more than 300-plus LGBTQIA+ festivities planned, and over 500,000 people expected to participate. The full program will be released on Wednesday, November 9, but already includes a heap of must-attend events, including Kylie Minogue headlining the opening concert, rainbows aplenty all around the city and a closing gig led by MUNA and G Flip.

The 2023 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will take place on Oxford Street on Saturday, February 25, 2023. For more information, head to the Mardi Gras website.

Sydney WorldPride will run from February 17–March 5, 2023. For more information, or for tickets, head to the event's website.

Images: Jeffrey Feng Photography.

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