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 In 2025, Mardi Gras Festival runs from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, March 2 — with the Mardi Gras Parade itself falling on Saturday, March 1 in 2025. Where does Mardi Gras take place in Sydney? 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. 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 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! Why Mardi Gras is named Mardi Gras Cool fact: In French, 'Mardi Gras' means 'Fat Tuesdays'. Scenes of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Celebration on March 2, 2013 in Sydney Australia. Sydney Mardi Gras timeline. 1969 Police raided popular gay bar Stonewall Inn in New York. 1978 First Australian Mardi Gras – 53 people arrested. Most charges eventually dropped, The Sydney Morning Herald published the names, occupations and addresses of those arrested in full, outing many and causing some to lose their jobs. The Mardi Gras Parade. So, on to the main event. A lot of people come to Mardi Gras in Sydney just for the Parade, which is fair enough. Weaving along Oxford Street as a cacophony of joyful noise and bright colours, this takes place on the final Saturday of the festival (the first Saturday in March). In short: Crowds lined Oxford Street, Flinders Parade and Anzac Parade on Saturday night for this Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. NSW Police officers were allowed to march, despite Fair Day: Kick off Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney’s Victoria Park with this massive, free community event featuring live performances, food stalls, and LGBTQ+ organizations. Parade: The crown jewel of Mardi Gras, featuring flamboyant floats and over 12,000 participants marching through the streets of Sydney. 2025’s parade will be on March 2. 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. The Mardi Gras Indians symbolize a unique connection between African and Indigenous heritage in the Crescent City. the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia and Charleston, Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) is an LGBTQIA+ not-for-profit member-based organisation that produces the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and Festival and several other events and supportive initiatives throughout the year. Mardi Gras (UK: / ˌ m ɑːr d i ˈ ɡ r ɑː /, US: / ˈ m ɑːr d i ɡ r ɑː /; [1] [2] also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. [3] The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is an annual event held in Sydney, Australia. The Mardi Gras is a large-scale celebration of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) community. The event is held in late February or early March each year and culminates in a large parade and festival. The event attracts thousands of spectators and participants from across Australia and Club Cindy presented by Got2b. It’s time to celebrate Sydney Mardi Gras at the hottest spot on the Parade strip: Club Cindy! With bars, toilets and food trucks this premium viewing area pops you at the Moore Park end of Flinders Street, meaning you can beat the crowds and be in your own pampered pocked of the fabulous 2025 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 Mardi Gras is a festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. Mid-North Coast Pride is preparing to participate in their second Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, with a special meaning behind the regional group’s float in the event. Mid-North Coast Pride made their big Mardi Gras debut last year.
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