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As such that first Mardi Gras march was a major civil rights milestone beyond the gay community. Up to 3,000 people marched in an incident-free parade in 1979. In 1980 a key new element was introduced – the post-parade party. The face of the modern Mardi Gras we know today was taking shape. The 2016 Mardi Gras proved one of the biggest ever, with 12,500 parade participants and 300,000 onlookers. It also marked a milestone moment in Mardi Gras history. In the weeks leading up to it, the State Parliament, Police and Fairfax Media gave the 78’ers apologies they had been waiting 38 years to hear. 1978: First gay Mardi Gras march, Sydney. Making history. Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives president Graham Willett describes the 1978 Mardi Gras as the ‘most dramatic moment of the backlash’ against the campaign for gay rights. What is the history of Mardi Gras in Australia? GEOFF FRIEND AND THE AUSTRALIAN LESBIAN & GAY ARCHIVES. In 1979, an incident-free parade with up to 3000 participants took place, and from there 2017 - The Australian parliament legislates for marriage equality; 2019 - Sydney voted to host WorldPride 2023; Today, Sydney Mardi Gras is attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the largest Pride event in Oceania. The political impact of the Mardi Gras parades was also evident in the achievement in 1985 by the Gay & Lesbian Immigration Task Force of recognition of same sex “inter-dependent” relationships for Australian immigration, ahead of almost all other countries. History Of Mardi Gras & Pride In Sydney On the 19 th of September 1970, Christabel Poll and John Ware came out in an article in The Australian , making them the first two openly lesbian and gay In 1994 ‘Lucille Balls’ won first prize for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras costume award. History of LGBTQIA+ politics. In 2018 Mardi Gras marked its 40th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, the Museum hosted a thought-provoking discussion on LGBTQIA+ politics in Australia. Australia's bicentennial year. An Aboriginal float leads the Parade with a gay Indigenous man dressed as Captain Cook. 60 floats participate while a crowd of 20,000 look on. The Sydney Gay Mardi Gras Association's name changes to Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Association. The history of Mardi Gras On the eve of Sydney's Mardi Gras, SBS takes a look into the history of the world-famous event. (AAP) Follow our coverage of the 2014 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The Australian Queer Archives, City of Sydney Archives, Pride History Group, [citation needed] and the State Library of New South Wales hold an extensive collections of material related to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, including oral history interviews, organisational records, personal papers, posters, clippings, and photographs. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges that our events take place on Aboriginal land. We acknowledge the Gadigal, Cammeraygal, Bidigal, Darug and Dharawal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Sydney Basin. As Sydney counts down for Australia’s biggest annual pride celebration - the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival - ACON is reminding everyone to prioritise health and safety during the celebrations. “Mardi Gras is all about celebrating who we are as a community and having a great time doing it,” said ACON CEO Get ready to set free pride, diversity, and unbridled joy as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade returns on Saturday 1 March 2025. With over 10,000 marchers and more than 180 spectacular floats, this year's Parade is a dazzling celebration of the 2025 Festival theme, FREE TO BE, honouring the LGBTQIA+ community's resilience, creativity, and unwavering pursuit of The 47th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade saw over 11,000 participants from the LGBTQI spectrum broadcasting a message of pride, with a big crowd joining them lined up on Oxford Street or Now, Mardi Gras has grown to be a major cultural event in Sydney with associated events such as Fair Day, film festivals, and art shows. In 1993-1994, the Australian Museum’s Rapid Response Program proposed for the Prejudice and Pride exhibition to run concurrently with the 1994 Sydney Thousands of scantily clad revellers danced through Sydney on Saturday for the 47th annual Mardi Gras parade, transforming the Australian city into a vibrant sea of colour and costumes. More than 10,000 people -- many of them painted in glitter makeup -- and 180 floats rolled down a packed Oxford Street, lighting up the vibrant heart of Sydney Celebrating 47 years in 2025, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras continues to stand strong as a pillar of strength and unity and a monument for creativity and self-expression within LGBTQIA+ communities in Sydney and across the globe. The 2025 Festival promises to bring unforgettable moments, radiant performances, and vibrant events that honour the Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. It's most famously celebrated with parades in New Orleans Last night, Saturday 1 March 2025, Sydney did what it does best - turned the volume up, took over the streets, and celebrated every shade of the rainbow. The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade transformed Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade into a dazzling display of community, resilience, and unapologetic self-expression.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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