Starting with a street protest in 1978 and broadcast every year on national television since 1994, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is the climax of the city’s annual LGBTQIA+ pride festival. Sydney’s most colourful night out celebrates its 46th anniversary in 2024, with some 12,000 marchers and over 200 floats set to party down Oxford Street on Saturday, March 2. As always, it’ll be kicked off by the famous rumble of the Dykes on Bikes.
Every year around 250,000 spectators line Oxford and Flinders Streets to watch the colourful procession of floats shimmy their way down the parade route to share messages of equality, diversity, strength and pride. An electric energy fills the city on parade night (or “Gay Christmas”). The streets are packed with bodies, everyone is glittering, the outfits are bold, and corporate office workers might be spotted suspended from the roof of a bondage-themed float by their nipples, only to return to their respectable nine-to-five come Monday without batting an eyelid.
There were a couple of weird years there, thanks to the pesky presence of Little Miss Covid-19, however the parade returned to its physical and spiritual home on Sydney's Pink Mile in 2023 (aligning with Sydney WorldPride) after two years of being booted to a strictly ticketed event at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The parade starts from Hyde Park and ends at Moore Park, with a revamped route this year that will take punters through the most iconic areas of Sydney. A good parade night requires a plan. Punters start packing vantage spots on the streets during the day, so it is best to claim a spot early if you plan to do so. It is also tradition to grab a milk crate to stand on if you’re vertically challenged. It is free to be on the street, however this year there are also ticketed Parade Viewing Areas with hosts, DJs and premium views. Remaining tickets start around the $100 mark, and you can find out more and get tix over here. But we reckon the best way to enjoy the parade is by being part of it, so if you find a fitting float to join, get amongst it!
If you can't make it to the parade in person (or a house party is more your vibe) the ABC will be broadcasting the parade live, so audiences around Australia can watch from home.
The celebrations always continue at the official after party, this year headlined by pop icon Adam Lambert, but you can also look out for other fabulous parties happening around town on this fabled evening.
Be warned, travelling in and out of the city around the parade is not an easy feat, and phone batteries may give out just as you’re trying to find your mates. Oxford and Flinders Streets will close to traffic in the afternoon, ahead of the main event from 6pm-11pm. Plan, plan, plan – and for goodness sake, make sure your glitter is biodegradable!