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Today, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of Australia’s most famous and well-loved events, bringing thousands of visitors to Sydney to join in the celebrations. It captures the imagination of Australia’s LGBTQI and mainstream communities, taking over the city for weeks on end, culminating in the world-famous Parade: a colourful and The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is a celebration of LGBTQIA+ history and culture. [22]The term Mardi Gras derives from the celebration on Mardi (French for "Tuesday") when Gras (French for "fat") is eaten prior to the Christian abstinence period of Lent preceding Easter. History of the event, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Robert Swieca, Judith O’Callaghan and Glynis Jones, Absolutely Mardi Gras: Costume and Design of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 1996. Graham Willett, Living out Loud: A History of Gay and Lesbian Activism in Australia, Allen & Unwin, 2000 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. This year the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade made its way along Oxford Street for the 40th year in a row. It was a typically loud, colourful and vibrant affair that mixed politics with Poster for the first Mardi Gras in Sydney, 1978, designed by Chris Jones.(Supplied: Ken Davis)The event would mark the ninth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, an uprising that led to The first Mardi Gras was a breakthrough in Australian civil rights history. Around 3,000 people marched in a peaceful parade the following year and the scene was set for the celebration we know and love today. NSW authorities apologised to LGBTIQA+ communities in 2016 for the harm caused. History of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The first Mardi Gras occurred on 24th June 1978, as an event to celebrate gay and lesbian culture and to protest the discrimination they faced every day. However, the march down Oxford Street ended with police arrests and violence against the protestors. This first Mardi Gras Parade ended in violence and 53 people arrested, but the police crackdown fired up a community who would no longer be silent. Mardi Gras had become a defining moment in the nation’s gay rights history. Our people were out of the closets and into the streets. 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 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. History of the event, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Robert Swieca, Judith O’Callaghan and Glynis Jones, Absolutely Mardi Gras: Costume and Design of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Powerhouse Publishing, Sydney, 1996. Graham Willett, Living out Loud: A History of Gay and Lesbian Activism in Australia, Allen & Unwin, 2000 The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival returns from 14 February to 2 March 2025 with the theme FREE TO BE. Drinks and hospitality companies including Absolut, Brookvale Union, Applejack, Squealing Pig and Archie Rose are joining the celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, culture and community. Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras CEO Gil Beckwith MobTix returns for Sydney Mardi Gras 2025, presented in partnership with ACON’s First Nations Health Programs. Sydney Mardi Gras is committed to working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to celebrate and elevate First Nations LGBTQIA+SB culture. The City of Sydney supports Mardi Gras as an internationally celebrated event that honours the history of LGBTIQ communities in Australia. Mardi Gras showcases LGBTIQ cultures and honours its contemporary struggles. As a global city, the City of Sydney is proud to support Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and showcase its diversity to the world. It’s hard to imagine that the rich cultural festival and fabulous, world-famous parade began with a haphazardly organised street march that ended rather badly. On 24 June 1978, a chilly mid-winter’s day in Sydney, a crowd of up to 500 people – eventually swelling to around 2000 by 9.30pm – gathered in Darlinghurst’s Taylor Square to campaign for gay rights and commemorate the 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! History of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The first Mardi Gras occurred on 24th June 1978, as an event to celebrate gay and lesbian culture and to protest the discrimination they faced every day. However, the march down Oxford Street ended with police arrests and violence against the protestors. 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.
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