What if we told you that you can ride on a totally free (yes, free) rainbow party bus filled with LGBTQIA+ icons this WorldPride and Mardi Gras Parade? Well, you can. This is us, telling you.
Everyone who knows their Mardi Gras salt knows that moving through the city during what is arguably THE most festive weekend of the year is no walk in the park. Surging fares, traffic jams and packed trains don’t always make for the merriest of times, which is why this new party bus offering is so very fabulous.
Thanks to the transport gods over at Uber, a completely free hop on, hop off party bus will be moving through the city centre during WorldPride and Mardi Gras from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26 and then again from Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 5. Hallelujah!
Much like the famed purple ‘Knight Bus’ from Harry Potter, the ‘Uber Pride Ride’ will be full of wild entertainment and incredible on-board activities, including drag bingo and karaoke with the big-name likes of: Carla from Bankstown, Coco Jumbo and Jojo Zaho, as well as plenty of disco vibes, party music and all-round good times (sadly, however, it will not be able to travel at the speed of light, or become invisible at will).
On top of all the magic, bus riders will also get a front-row seat to some groundbreaking educational talks by the folks over at Black Rainbow, who will be advocating for the rights of First Nations members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The bendy bus will do a city circle loop from 6.30pm to 11pm on the Pride party weekends. The loop will start at the Australian Museum, William Street, with the trip made to ferry you to individual parties, performances and events happening across the city. You can see the full list of city circle stops right here.
But wait! The free transport news doesn’t stop here. For all those keen on hitting up the town on Mardi Gras weekend (let’s be real, who isn’t?), Uber is also shockingly offering FREE Pool trips (ride-sharing with other passengers) for all those so inclined. This means that if you and your gaggle of pals are ubering into town for the parade, you can share a pool trip with strangers for a total trip cost of zero dollars.
This is not a drill.
Uber will cover a maximum of $100 per ride for any single Uber pool trips to the Mardi Gras parade that are booked through the app from between noon to 10pm from Friday, February 24 to Sunday, February 26. The fine print says that this deal is only valid for available rides on Uber Pool, and that the free $100 from Uber only covers the fare charge, and does not include any tolls or any other kind of extra fee or charge that can get collected on the way.
Free transport? Parties? Pride? We're so here for it.