3 March 2025. Over the weekend, thousands came together to celebrate pride at the 47th edition of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. What began as a protest for LGBTQIA+ rights continues as an iconic pillar in the community as a platform for advocacy, connection, visibility, and celebration. 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 At Mardi Gras 2023, Ms Thorpe momentarily stopped the parade after laying on the ground in front of a float in protest. She was escorted away by officers, but was not arrested. The theme of this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is Free to Be. The first Mardi Gras was a protest in 1978, coordinated in solidarity with other gay and lesbian groups around the The group, Pride in Protest, were protesting the inclusion of a NSW Police float in the 2024 Mardi Gras parade, following the arrest of a serving officer, who is alleged to have killed two men. READ MORE: Mardi Gras parade turns Sydney streets into sea of rainbows Nine people have been arrested (9News) This morning police confirmed they had charged eight people over the protest action. Mardi Gras grappled with wildly different views and did a double-pike-backflip. The community consultation that followed was an organising opportunity for Pride in Protest. The NFSA marks the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with recently discovered news file footage from the first Mardi Gras and subsequent lesbian and gay rights protests in Sydney in June 1978. Guest contributor Ken Davis , one of the organisers of the first Mardi Gras, recalls how the event came about and the 'Drop the Charges' campaign According to Pride in Protest on X, the motion to ban the NSW Police Force from the 2025 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade was shot down with 459 votes for, 493 against and 26 abstentions. "We came out in numbers on the eve of Mardi Gras to protest systemic police violence still present in our community some 46 years after the 78ers first marched down Oxford Street," Wei, a Pride in Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests David GRAY Sydney's annual Mardi Gras parade is a highlight of the city's social calendar 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. Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests David GRAY Sydney's annual Mardi Gras parade is a highlight of the city's social calendar The 47th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras will be held from 14 February to 2 March 2025, with festival events held at various times and locations across Sydney. Visit mardigras.org.au for information and tickets. Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests David GRAY Sydney's annual Mardi Gras parade is a highlight of the city's social calendar Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests David GRAY Sydney's annual Mardi Gras parade is a highlight of the city's social calendar Marchers at the 1978 Mardi Gras parade. The Pride History Group, Author provided. The early rainbow nature of the movement was evident, with transgender and Aboriginal people and people from The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival culminates in the renowned Sydney Mardi Gras Parade, an LGBTQIA+ rights protest and celebration of sexuality. The parade features more than 12,500 entrants in colourful costumes and elaborate floats, who represent a community group, topical theme or political message. Sydney Mardi Gras 2024: A Vibrant Festivity of Community and Culture. A Night of Nights: Tradition and Celebration; Voices from the Crowd: Love, Respect, and Effort; Political Undercurrent: Sydney Mardi Gras – A Legacy of Pride,Protest,and Progress; Sydney Mardi Gras: A Legacy of Pride, protest, and Progress – an Exclusive Interview Although the event has firmly embraced its boisterous party atmosphere, Sydney's Mardi Gras originally grew out of a 1978 gay rights protest that ended with dozens of arrests. The parade is still used as a vehicle for protest, with floats this year pushing for LGBTQ rights. lec/mtp
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