It’s time to slip on your party shoes, because the Sydney Mardi Gras Festival is in full swing – and you don’t need to wait for the Parade for a good night out. Subcultures will unite when three of the city’s hottest queer party collectives get together for a weekend-long, day-to-night takeover at The House of Music & Booze in St Peters. Heaps Gay, Angels Only and Xaddy’s Door List have teamed up with Absolut X to curate a colourful and intimate experience running from February 23–25. All events are free to attend – suss out the vibe below, and RSVP over here.
“The weekend is about shining a light on past, present and emerging queer promoters, and basically creating a really safe space for people to come down and dance and have a bit of fun – and it's all free,” Kat Dopper told us.
We trust Kat to show us a good time, she’s a bonafide icon of Sydney’s queer scene and the founder of Heaps Gay – which has proudly coaxed Sydney out of its shell since 2013 with larger than life parties and events for LGBTQIA+ folks and allies. (FYI: Heaps Gay’s parade night party has already sold out, so Absolut X is your chance to make sure you get in on the judgement-free action.)
“The good thing about Heaps Gay is that it sort of feels like a house party, you never really know what you’re gonna get in terms of sound, but the music is always accessible,” says Kat. “What we try to do is create a really cheeky environment – so lots of fun decor and promo, and interesting performance artists that you may not have seen before. We’re always trying to think about commissioning artists to create new and exciting works.”
Heaps Gay is kicking off Absolut X on Friday, February 23, by splashing around some colour with HOT MESS (4pm-midnight). It’s kicking off with a “Social Club” featuring a queer promoter networking session and an exhibition showcasing work by queer club photographers. This is chased by a club night featuring a heavy hitting all-star cast of hosts and selectors, including London’s legendary Pxssy Palace (UK) crew, Cookie Kawaii (US), Crescendoll, Pa777iance, Club Chrome, Charlie Villas, Ruby Teys, Stelly G, Pea Oh Ma and Heaps Gay DJs.
Continue the party on Saturday, February 24 when Angels Only presents HAVEN (4pm-midnight). Fronted by creative powerhouse Jason De Cox, Angels Only primes a captivating, joy filled, queer experience that meets community activation. This event is a glamorous celebration of the future of queer club culture, defined by four key pillars: community, house, techno, and vision. Angels Only will gather some of Sydney's finest souls to guide you to Haven.
Then on Sunday, February 25, the party continues with Xaddy’s Day 2 Night (1pm-9pm). Fronted by the trailblazing Xander Khoury (Father of the House of Silky and the mastermind behind Xaddy’s Door List) it’s the perfect home away from home for queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and PoC folks to turn it up. The party commences with a post-Sissy Ball kiki, treating the ballroom community to a special complimentary drink on arrival. Launching the evening is a selection of some of the brightest ballroom acts and music selectors in the game including Atarangi (NZ), Oscar Nñ (US), Nasthug (JP) and Habibitch (FR) to name a few.
In the spirit of giving, 100 per cent of all door donations from Absolut X will be donated to local charities and causes in support of the local and wider queer community. The Mardi Gras celebration continues with Absolut at participating Merivale venues where the signature Absolut Rizz Fizz cocktail is being served, and $2 from every cocktail sold will go to supporting ACON and the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation.
All the above events are free to attend, and once again that link to RSVP is over here. See you on the dancefloor!
Kat Dopper leaves us with her advice for party goers during Mardi Gras: “Slow and steady wins the race! It's a 17-day festival, and we all know how tired we were from Sydney WorldPride…"