Sydney is expected to be buzzing for one of the biggest nights in the city's social calendar today as thousands are anticipated to march in the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. The Festival will wrap with the world famous Sydney Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Festival theme: Free to be. The 2025 Festival theme Free to be is a celebration of the strides toward true LGBTQIA+ equality while also acting as a global reminder that our fight is far from over, and that we are not truly free until we are all free Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 as it happened: Thousands line Oxford Street to celebrate city’s LGBTQ community By Megan Gorrey , Nick Newling and Lucy Macken Updated March 1, 2025 — 11.17pm first One of Sydney’s most colourful nights will be in full swing this weekend as thousands are expected to descend on the streets to celebrate the 47th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. When is the 2025 Sydney Mardi Gras? The festival is being held from February 14 to March 2, with this year’s theme, “free to be”, inspiring events, floats and revellers throughout the fortnight. The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade is set to attract huge crowds on 1 March. Credit: AAP Over 11,000 participants are expected to descend on Sydney's streets on Saturday The official dates for the Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 festival season will be February 14, 2025, to Sunday, March 2, 2025 The Mardi Gras season kicks off with Fair Day, which will be held on Sunday, February 16. The parade and official after-party are confirmed to be on Saturday, March 1. Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 is here! Free to party, free to celebrate, free to laugh, free to be Festival-favourites, revamped returns and new queens on the block join the line-up for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025! The 17-day celebration culminates in the world famous Sydney Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Community groups from around the country will gather on Oxford St, Flinders St, and Anzac Pde for the spectacular march, with their float concepts drawing on the 2025 theme, FREE TO BE . The Sydney Mardi Gras Parade takes place on the final Saturday of the festival, so the next one is estimated to take place on Saturday 1st March 2025. The Sydney Mardi Gras Parade route. The Sydney Mardi Gras Parade honors the same path that the bold group in 1978 took – mainly along Oxford Street from Taylor Square to Hyde Park. Mardi Gras Parade road closures: How to get around on the Saturday. The best way to get to the parade is always going to be public transport. There are numerous road closures between the Sydney CBD and Moore Park from 5pm on the big day, so the crowds are going to be thick and hard to navigate. Sydney Mardi Gras Parade 2025 on Saturday, March 1; Starts 7.30pm AEDT / 8.30am GMT / 3.30am ET; Watch the Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, one of the biggest cultural events of the year in Australia, to Queer Screen's Mardi Gras Film Festival; Progress Pride Flag Raising; Marks Park Sunrise; Oxtravaganza; Family Zone at Oxtravaganza; Darlo Big Drag Brunch; Queer Contemporary; Feeling Afraid As if Something Terrible Is Going to Happen; Mardi Gras Plus; Plan your Festival experience; Join the Festival. 2025 Parade applications; Fair Day 2025 The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade will take over Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade. As one of the largest LGBTQIA+ parades in the world, the event will feature over 200 floats, including those from Dykes on Bikes, LGBTQIA+SB First Nations communities, and the beloved 78ers—the activists who led the first Mardi Gras While the Mardi Gras parade will always remains the heart of the celebration, there’s so much more to dive into in 2025 beyond the floats and marching bands. The city will be alive with a series of unforgettable parties—courtesy of the incredible queer organisers who bring Sydney’s nightlife to life. We're not free until we're all free to be. The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade is set to take over Oxford Street, Flinders Street and Anzac Parade on Saturday 1 March 2025. Set your true self free as the Mardi Gras magic makes it's way down the heritage-listed Parade route for one of the largest LGBTQIA+ nighttime parades in the world. Sydney Mardi Gras 2025 is here! Free to party, free to celebrate, free to laugh, free to be Festival-favourites, revamped returns and new queens on the block join the line-up for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025! Mardi Gras Parade road closures: How to get around on the Saturday. The best way to get to the parade is always going to be public transport. There are numerous road closures between the Sydney CBD and Moore Park from 5pm on the big day, so the crowds are going to be thick and hard to navigate. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade 2025-KEY INFORMATION. Written and compiled with assistance of GeminiAI. Sydney ,24 February,2025 “We’re not free until we’re all free to be.” Event Details: Date: Saturday, 1 March 2025; Time: 6:45 PM – 11:00 PM; Location: Oxford Street, Flinders Street, and Anzac Parade, Sydney; Theme: FREE TO BE Celebrate Sydney Mardi Gras on Oxford Street! Exclusive rooftop parade night viewing parties, a five-level DIRTY DISCO takeover, plus heaps more.
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