Sydney Festival Is Hosting a Huge Wedding Reception to Celebrate Australia's First Same-Sex Marriages

After such a long wait, it's only fitting that Australia's first batch of legalised same-sex marriages be celebrated with a healthy dose of fanfare.

So on January 9 — the first day that Aussie same-sex couples can formally tie the knot — Sydney Festival will play host to a massive communal wedding reception, celebrating a huge moment in Australian history. And, it's free.

Setting up in the Meriton Festival Village in Hyde Park from 6-8pm, the Love Is Love Wedding Reception will be a far cry from your average wedding, featuring the likes of karaoke carousel, JOF's 10-minute dance parties and even a hot pink swimming pool. After you take a dip and belt out some of your own tunes, Sydney DJ Charlie Villas will have guests breaking a sweat on the dance floor as he spins classic wedding bangers well into the night.

Of course, you can't have a wedding without some celebratory cake, so some of Sydney's best-loved dessert maestros have been busy creating their own bespoke wedding cake designs for the event. While supplies last, there'll be a five-tier rainbow pavlova from Black Star, a limited-edition salted caramel and fior di latte creation from Messina, and an epic vegan cake from My Little Panda Kitchen's Annabelle McMillan. Those rocking fabulous wedding get-ups can enjoy free glasses of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne to match, though it's first in, best dressed for both the cake and the bubbly.

Celebrate the Love Is Love Wedding Reception at Hyde Park North (entry via Central Ave Walkway) from 6-8pm on Tuesday, January 9.