Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

Overview

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and its Parade are synonymous: it's impossible to imagine one without the other. The historic centrepiece, the jewel in the sparkly tiara, the very raison d'être of the festival, is an important, entertaining, and uplifting celebration of all things LGBTIQA+. Hundreds of beautiful floats, themselves testaments to the immense creative talents of the queer community and drawn from all walks of life, glide down Oxford Street to the thunderous adulation of tens of thousands of revellers.

The theme guiding the parade's 48th edition is ECSTATICA, which celebrates joy as power, protest and connection. Unfortunately, entries for this cavalcade of queerness have now closed, however you can still get down and share in the love. A word to the wise, though — unless you've bought tickets to one of the many Parade events held by pubs and clubs with a view of the route (or you have a friend with a balcony overlooking Oxford Street), get there early as spots will go fast. There'll be accessible viewing areas on Flinders Street, while Glitter Club at Taylor Square will put you as close to the action as possible without stepping onto the route itself — unfiltered, unforgettable and right in the heart of the Parade.

Image: Ash Penin.