Can you feel the rush? Can you feel the tension?... Sydney is gearing up for a huge and very gay weekend. The marvellous 47th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is taking over Oxford Street on Saturday night (March 1), and it’ll be flanked either side by loads of warm-up events, parties for kick-ons, and recovery sessions. And, the high queen of pop herself, Kylie Minogue is also in town with her Tension World Tour! She’s set to play three huge shows at Qudos Bank Arena over the weekend (March 1–3).
As if there isn’t enough going on, a little birdy told us that say Kylie could be “popping up unannounced” at the official Sydney Mardi Gras Party after the parade – along with none other than Australia’s own prince of pop, Troye Sivan (who recently had us swooning at his euphoric Sydney Opera House show.
The clash between Kylie’s concerts and the Mardi Gras Parade has not been without controversy. Many local queers felt blindsided when the concert dates were announced, especially as our Kylie has long been an ally to LGBTQIA+ community and a supporter of Sydney’s world famous pride parade. After all, she’s performed for the gays at Sydney Mardi Gras parties on multiple previous occasions (find out more in this video we made with Qtopia Sydney).
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So, it would make a lot of sense for Kylie to make a surprise appearance at Mardi Gras alongside Troye, the king of the twinks (non-derogatory). This rumour isn’t just founded on a hopeful fantasy, either. There have been clues.
For starters, when Sydney Mardi Gras posted an announcement on Instagram about American singer/songwriter (and sometimes RuPaul’s Drag Race guest) Leland joining the Mardi Gras Party lineup (with “friends”), there was a few clues that got fans convinced that Troye is coming along with him, and those are:
- Troye and Leland are real life friends
- A Troye Sivan song was attached to the post
- Troye Sivan’s own brother commented on said post
- And, bear with us, but a lightning bolt emoji appears in the post’s caption (which is now universally associated with Troye’s hit song ‘Rush’, for reasons that gay partygoers and video tape cleaning enthusiasts will understand).
Meanwhile, Kylie has also worked with Leland – and that’s not where her connections to this year’s lineup end. British musician, DJ and prominent lesbian Romy (who’s also one third of indie band The xx) is also performing at the event, and she was just booked as a support act for Kylie’s Tension Tour in the USA and Canada. Coincidence? Maybe.
Kylie’s history with Mardi Gras surely counts for something too, and this party is an absolute institution – celebrity guests in previous years include Cher, Dua Lipa, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, Olivia Newton-John and Sam Smith.
This year’s confirmed entertainers are nothing to sneeze at either – including iconic DJ, producer and fashion icon Honey Dijon and British singer Hayla alongside Romy, as well as a bunch of hot local DJs and queer performers spread across six different venues over eight hours of debauchery between Hordern Pavilion and the Entertainment Quarter.
It is unclear whether Kylie and Troye would be performing in addition to all this, or just making a cheeky appearance. But honestly, catching a glimpse of either of these icons of Australia’s royal family of pop at the Mardi Gras Party would be a story that we would tell our grandchildren.
Keen? Final tickets for the Mardi Gras Party are on sale now, starting at $229+bf. Find out more and book over here.
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