Overview
Following a rainbow by foot, and celebrating Sydney's — and Australia's — LGBTIQA+ community in the process, isn't hard around the Harbour City, no matter whether you're a local or a visitor. Darlinghurst is famously home to a rainbow crossing. In Surry Hills, the City of Sydney implemented a lengthy path in Prince Alfred Park decked out in the same multicoloured stripes, too. And Coogee also has its own cheerfully hued monument, turning part of the suburb's beachfront into a rainbow walkway.
Expect those vibrant colours to blaze brighter in 2023, however — and in more places. WorldPride is coming to Sydney from February 17–March 5, taking place in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time ever, and it has dazzling plans to shower the Greater Sydney region with as many rainbows as it can.
Sydney WorldPride will already boast the return of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade to Oxford Street, Kylie Minogue headlining the opening concert, plus MUNA and G Flip doing the same at the closing gig — and now around 45 free public artworks spanning everywhere from the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney to the Scenic Skyway in Katoomba are also on the list. The full rundown of floral art and installations hasn't been unveiled, but the highlights so far are impressive. Even just the 50-metre-long floral rainbow wall made up of 18,000 bright plants is, naturally.
That floral rainbow wall is coming to The Calyx inside the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, and will be one of the largest living green walls in the Southern Hemisphere. It'll display during current horticultural exhibition Love Your Nature, which, fittingly, is all about diversity in plants.
Up in the Blue Mountains, Scenic Skyway will be transformed giant Progress Flag, too — adding colour to its already stunning setup against the Three Sisters and the Jamison Valley's landscapes.
And, back in Sydney, Coogee's rainbow walkway is expanding. Randwick Council will update the beachside path to feature the colours of the Progress Flag, to ensure that people of colour and the trans community are represented. This is a permanent feature, but will be unveiled in time for Sydney WorldPride.
The 45 artworks will also include an evening rainbow mural that'll glow at the University of Sydney's Footbridge Gallery, at the Camperdown campus, during WorldPride. Designed by Dr Xavier Ho, it'll be comprised of rainbow LED lights, and will mark the 45th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Around the city in general, the City of Sydney is set to put up floral installations, too, including planter boxes and a floral wall that'll be filled with plants and foliage in rainbow flag hues.
To help Sydneysiders and folks in town for WorldPride to know what to see and where — the festival does span 17 days and 300-plus LGBTQIA+ festivities, after all, with more than 500,000 people expected to participate overall — a Rainbow City map will hit the streets in early February, plotting out where to catch this onslaught of celebratory colour.
Sydney WorldPride is also open to hearing from public space holders interested in adding their own substantial artworks to the festival, as long as they're free to access and branding-free. Flowers, lights, water, sculptures, any interpretation of the rainbow: they're all welcome.
Katherine Griffiths
Sydney WorldPride will run from February 17–March 5, 2023. For more information, head to the event's website.
Thinking about Sydney WorldPride's big opening gig, Live and Proud: Sydney WorldPride Opening Concert, too? General admission tickets have sold out, with only Sydney WorldPride's affordability option left — but you can still head along thanks to Concrete Playground Trips. The Sydney WorldPride package includes tickets to the Domain Dance Party and Live and Proud: Opening Concert, plus three nights at the PARKROYAL Darling Harbour Sydney.